Keeping Secrets
by WendyGold
Summary: After the death of the Potters, Remus Lupin abandons England and the wizarding world for a new life. He becomes an Ivy League professor with a kinky fetish. His world is calm and steady as he fights his inner demons. All is safe until he meets Holly Beddoes, a young graduate student with an erotic addiction of her own. When secrets are revealed, will their love endure?
1. Chapter 1

"Fuck."

The curse word slipped from her lips before Holly's brain could stuff it back down her throat. The papercut on her thumb stung as she waved her hand in the air to soothe the urn.

Staring around at the ancient library, she saw a few heads dart back to laptop screens before she made eye contact. Holly glanced over her shoulder. A cluster of undergrads poked their heads over the edges of their laptop screens like modernized prairie dogs, searching for the swearer.

Before any of them could lock eyes with her, Holly turned back to her dusty Shakespeare biography and hunched back over the table, littered with papers and a couple of pen that had rolled out of her faded black Jansport backpack. Her blush warmed her cheeks. Her embarrassment was the only thing keeping her warm in this drafty library. Slivers of natural light streaked across the yellowing pages of a book that was published ten years before she was born.

She slipped the tip of her sliced finger into her mouth and sucked, trying to ignore the erotic tingle of sucking on flesh. A shiver of excitement pulsed through her body, collecting in a sticky pool between her thighs.

"Ahem," someone coughed across from her.

Holly blushed deeper, not realizing she'd closed her eyes. How long had she been sitting there, sucking her thumb like a child across from—

"Hey Nikki," Holly smiled with relief. Holly said a silent prayer of thanks that the person she'd embarrassed herself in front of was her best friend.

Nikki's thin eyebrow arched over the rim of her charcoal tortoise shell glasses as her lips pursed. "Do I want to know what you were thinking about?" she asked. She nibbled on a fleck of stray cherry lipstick as she shook her head at Holly. Her crimson ponytail flicked back and forth between her shoulders.

Holly shrugged as she pulled her thumb from her lips. The fresh breeze of cold air sent another dull pain rippling through her finger just below the skin. She rummaged through her bookbag, pulling out a travel sized bottle of lemon scented hand sanitizer and squirted into her palm. She rubbed the cooling gel onto her hands, careful to avoid the cut on her finger. "So, where are you coming from?"

Nikki toyed with the cardboard rim on her to-go latte cup. "I just had to sit through an Abnormal Psych lecture with Professor Reinstein."

"I'm not sure which is worse," Holly said, "his name or the subject matter. Ow! Mother heffer!" Alcohol slipped over the papercut. A hot stinging sensation burned over her thumb, only growing hotter and wider as Holly waved her hand in front of her, trying to cool the burn. The tip of her thumb felt like it was doused in boiling water for a moment before the stinging subsided to an uncomfortable tingling.

Nikki flipped off someone over Holly's shoulder before her hand fell back to her cup of coffee.

"What was that for?" Holly asked.

"The blonde behind you was giving you that stern, disapproving librarian look. I wonder if she's a library studies major. She's got the perfect temperament for it." Nikki coughed and raised her voice as she wagged her finger. "No swearing in the library, Holly." Nikki smirked as she tried to sound like a stern school disciplinarian and failed miserably.

Holly rolled her eyes. "Oh, children. When will they learn to respect their elders?"

"So true," Nikki added. "And to think, only two years ago, we were like them. Young, Ignorant. Full of hopes and dreams."

"And then we went to grad school," Holly chuckled.

"Where they smash all of your hopes and dreams to smithereens."

"All for the reasonable price of your soul."

"And your first born," Nikki added.

"But that's only if you're a doctoral candidate." Holly took a sip of tap water from her University of Pennsylvania water bottle, a gift given to all the graduate students at orientation. "So, Rumpelstiltskin, what do you have planned this afternoon?"

Nikki cringed. "Another Doctor Lupin lecture."

"Doctor Lupin," Holly repeated. "He sounds like one of crotchety old men who chiseled his dissertation on stone tablets."

Nikki laughed laud enough to get a shush from the undergrads around them. "Oh, that's too perfect."

Holly's eyebrow rose as she waited for an explanation. None came.

"So, why haven't I seen you in two weeks? Have you been hiding from me?" Nikki asked before tipping the Styrofoam cup between her lips and draining the last of her coffee.

Holly's heart squeezed like it was being crushed between a rock and a hard place. "Well, you know Victor and I aren't together anymore." Her airy voice was barely audible over the hum of the heater trying in vain to keep the old library warm. "I'm still getting over that breakup. It was rather unexpected."

Nikki reached across the table and patted Holly on the top of her arm. Her thin fingers and surprisingly warm touch against cold skin left Holly's arm covered in goosebumps.

"I know," Nikki said, "but moping won't do you any good. You need to go out and enjoy yourself. Pat and I are going to Brimstone tonight and I'm making your mind up for you. You're coming."

"I have to work the bookstore tonight," she grimaced.

Nikki shrugged. "Oh well. You're coming after work then. I won't take anymore of this self-deprecating behavior. I'll help push you through the five stages of grief in one night so you can move on."

A small laugh, more like a puff of air, escaped from her lips. "That's not how grief works. You should know that, miss future psychologist."

Nikki shrugged as she stood, the sounds of her chair muffled by the checked pattern carpet. "Whatever you say, miss know it all. I'm going to be there, and you better not stand me up. I'm very creative with my revenge."

Holly waved at Nikki as the redhead winked before rushing to the front of the library. With a small weight off her shoulders, Holly returned to the dusty pages describing Shakespeare through his arguably last work, _The Tempest_.

Time tickled by in long lulls as Holly occasionally glanced up other the pages and scribbled down a note or citation from the book.

As she skimmed over yet another repetitive feminist criticism of the play, a small wad of paper landed between the folds of her book. Her gaze rose as she caught the looks from three undergrads, two of whom snickered while the other's face fell in horror.

Holly rolled her eyes and bit the tip of her tongue to hold back her smartass remarks. She flicked the paper ball out of her book. "Hell is empty and all the devils are here," she murmured to no one. Annoyed at the interruption, her concentration broken, Holly glanced at her watch.

"Shit!"

A dozen study groups stared at her as she bolted up from her seat. Holly crammed her books into her bag with one hand as she struggled to pull on her leather jacket with the other. She fisted a few sheets of paper in her bag, zipped it, and zoomed out of the library like the white rabbit.

"Watch it!" An undergrad in a Penn hoodie huffed as she passed. Holly's shoulder collided with his lacrosse player's stick, poking out from his gym bag at an odd angle.

"Sorry, I'm late," she apologized without glancing over her shoulder. Definitely the white rabbit. If only she had a pocket watch… though who owns pocket watches anymore?

The cold air seeped into her lungs, filling her chest and chilling her to the bone. As her chest ached in protest, Holly slowed her pace to a walk, deciding that if she was already late, she might as well enjoy her stroll through the campus.

As she approached the corner of 32nd and Walnut Street, Holly shifted her backpack further up her shoulder as she walked up to the corner. Traffic whizzed past, loosening strand of golden hair from behind her ear.

Traffic stopped and a moment later, the little green man blinking at her, allowing her to walk like some neon gate keeper. Holly blended into a small crowd as the green man almost immediately turned into a red hand with a timer. Thirty-five seconds to cross.

Holly slowed her pace as she ended up stuck behind a chattering couple, holding hands as they wandered down the street. They gazed into one another's eyes with a spark that irritated Holly. She didn't need to be reminded of love and happiness and chemistry and sex appeal right now.

The last thing she needed on the brain before a mind-numbing bookstore shift was sex. Her mind was in constant danger of wandering away into the gutter as she restocked shelves and rang up customers buying the latest John Green novel.

She sidestepped around the couple just as someone sidestepped around her.

A small clattering caught Holly's attention, like someone shouting behind her. She glanced at the man beside her, his shaggy blnde hair catching her attention. He passed her and continued to stroll towards the main campus, his hands wringing in the cold air.

Holly froze in the middle of the walkway as the toe of her boot nudged something. Glancing down, she noticed a phone in a thick gray case gleaming up at he. A small crack like a spider web trickled out of the corner.

She bent to pick it up and glanced at the light. Twenty-three seconds.

"Sir," Holly said as she picked up the cracked phone. "Sir, you dropped your phone."

The man paused, the air around him turning with him as his pale grey eyes shimmered in the sunlight.

Holly held the phone out to him, like holding out a biscuit to a strange dog. Would he take the treat, or would he bite her?

The man pulled the phone from her fingers and shoved it back into his pants pocket without a word.

Holly froze, waiting. The air crackled, as though he was about to—

A car honked at her and she glanced over the man's shoulder. Two seconds. Once second.

The man said nothing as she turned her back on him and hurried across the street, picking up enough speed that her hair flew behind her like a superhero's cape.

She performed her Good Samaritan duty for today.

With a small smile—and a pinch of annoyance at not receiving so much as a nod from the man in the coat—Holly continued her way down 32nd Street, late to work and weirdly self-satisfied. Those twinkling gray eyes stuck in her mind like a song she couldn't get out of her head. Those melancholy eyes and that distant stare.

Holly shook her head, relieved to hear the brass bell tinker overhead as she stepped into the bookstore.

Time to focus and keep her mind out of the gutter. And keep her mind off the man with the storm grey eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

Professor Remus Lupin growled as he lifted the collar on his Burberry trench coat, merging into sidewalk traffic. A blast of icy Autumn winds cooled the air around him.

For the first time since his career as a psychology professor, he was late for a lecture. And his excuse was perhaps the most pathetic one after "my owl ate my homework"—his alarm didn't go off.

He glared at the lumps of slow undergrads in front of him. They filled the sidewalk until they nearly spilled over into the street, their noses buried in their phones like zombies.

Sickening.

He slithered between them as he wound his way through the labyrinth of people towards the main campus.

Old buildings, glorious and important, rose beyond the steel skyscrapers as the school bloomed into view in front of him.

Lupin quickened up his pace as he burst through the last wall of turtle students, with their slow paces and their bulky backpacks slung over their shoulders.

The wolf inside him growled, and for a moment Lupin wondered what a student would look like flat on their back, rolling over on their backpacks and waving their limbs like an upside-down turtle.

He chuckled to himself as he slid his phone from his pocket. Thumbing through his emails, Lupin ignored the voice in the back of him mind calling him a crotchety hypocrite for staring at his screen like a turtle zombie student.

Pat Goldsmith, his Teacher's Assistant, sent him yet another email about Professor Lupin's upcoming lecture. Apparently the chair decided to change the date yet again, pushing it further into December and placing his presentation perilously close to the winter break. The date of his lecture was a hard smack in the face from the chair of his department. This lecture would occur between the ends of finals and beginning of winter break, when the campus would be deserted for the holidays.

In a university of thousands, Lupin would most likely be talking in an empty lecture hall.

He noticed the crowd had stopped as the red light blinked across the street. Cars on either side came to a halt behind the white lines as the red hand morphed into a little green man.

Lupin's sour demeanor darkened as the cold winds picked up their speed in the wide open street. The icy air pricked at his nose and cheeks. He silently cursed at forgetting to bring a scarf. He clicked the silent button on his phone and fisted his hands in his trouser pockets, trying to warm his fingers.

He followed the crowd, narrowly dodging a woman who burst out of nowhere from behind a young couple. He growled as she stepped back from her, avoiding a collision. He bit his tongue, fighting back to the urge to tell her to watch where the bloody hell she was walking.

"Sir." A sweet voice clung to his skin as the name sent a shiver to his cock. He twitched beneath the tight fabric of his charcoal gray trousers. A woman purring the name "Sir" was always an erotic enjoyment of his. It was by far one of the sweetest sounds on earth.

"Sir, you dropped your phone."

His cock twitched again as Lupin paused, patting his pants' pocket.

His phone was missing. He turned to the woman behind him.

The earth, the air, time itself, all of it froze as an angel held his cracked phone out towards him. Her glittering green eyes tilted as she waited for him to take it, but his mind had gone blank.

Words. What were words?

His hand reached for the phone. The whole time, his gaze never left her stunning face. Her plush pink lips parted in a small gasp as is fingertips traced over hers. Her luminous skin blushed in the most wonderful way, staining her cheeks, the tip of her nose, and the faint bit of skin showing over her leather jacket.

Lupin's mouth watered as the color teased him. Her blush was the most magnificent shade of rose pink he had ever seen in his life.

The woman tilted her head as Lupin slipped the phone back into his pocket, the air humming around him like something magical.

The blonde woman's lips closed and his cock twitched again before she turned and ran away towards the other end of the street.

Lupin heard a car honk in the distant. The abhorrent sound yanked him out his haze and dropped him back into reality.

He hurried towards the campus. Safely across, he glanced behind hum.

His angel was gone.

Shaken to his core in a bizarre way—something he'd never felt—Lupin walked towards his favorite coffee cart, wondering why his steps seemed to spring and bounce. Werewolves don't bounce and men don't have springy steps.

He frowned and forced his feet to stomp across the yard. He was not the sort of man to prance about the school. He was a professor—well-respected, knowledgeable, and even tenured thanks to his little magic tricks.

He shuffled to the back of the short line and waited. As he made his way to the front of the line, he nodded to the barista. Neither of them said as they followed their daily, silent exchange of three crisp dollar bills for a large cup of piping hot, black coffee. Simple, bold, and to-the-point. Just like Lupin.

The barista gave him a queer look as he placed the change in Lupin's palm, breaking their routine. "Are you alright, professor? You look like you've seen a ghost."

The sixty-seven cents fell into Lupin's palm before he dumped it into the tip jar—another part of their regular coffee routine.

Lupin chuckled. He'd seen many ghosts before, but this was an unearthly creature of another sorts. "More like an angel," he said.

The barista could only blink in dumbfounded surprise as Lupin strolled past the cart and let his mind wander for a moment to the hauntingly beautiful woman. His angel with the dove-white skin stained pink. Her gallant act of chivalry. His reverse knight in shining armor.

"Get a hold of yourself," he murmured to himself as he hurried over to Fisher-Bennett Hall. Lupin flashed his card to the security desk and wound his way up the first set of stairs and down the second floor corridor. Loud chatter echoed down the hallway, muffling the soft steps of his oxfords.

He took another sip of coffee as he entered the room, commanding attention without a glance or a word. The chatter ceased as all eyes fell on Professor R.J. Lupin, PhD.

"Turn to page three hundred and ninety-four," Lupin said as he placed his coffee on the podium and unbuttoned his trench coat. He felt the admiring glances of some of his female students as he stripped out of his coat and placed it with care over the desk chair.

"Now, how many of you read the passages about Dr. Alfred Kinsey and his infamous Heterosexual-Homosexual Rating Scale?"

Every hand shot up.

Lupin's mouth twisted into a satisfied smirk. He knew half of them were lying. The downcast stares, the nervous lip biting, the fidgeting feet under desks. He could read them all so easily, like a boring bunch of predictable, muggle sheep.

But who to torment today?

A thin redhead adjusted her glasses as she slumped in her seat. She was the first to drop her hand.

"Miss McGuire, would you be so kind as to give the class a rough explanation as to what everyone supposedly read this weekend?"

Nikki bit her lip, straightening in her seat. Her foot quit jiggling as her eyes widened.

The wolf inside him hummed in satisfaction. He'd cornered her.

"I…I don't remember. I read it, but it was late." Her cheeks began to flush a neon shade of red. Hardly the lovely flush of pink he'd noticed on his angel earlier.

Lupin frowned. "There is no point in reading if you won't remember what you read," he snapped. "Five points off your midterm, Miss McGuire. For lying and for coming into my classroom unprepared."

He turned to the projection board and grabbed a flash drive from the pocket of his trousers. He slipped it into the board and one-by-one, He flipped through slides of Dr. Kinsey and some of his more intimate and exciting case studies.

Lupin tried his best to focus on his lecture, though every so often the image of his angel floated into his mind, forcing him behind the podium to hide the obvious bulge in his pants. Though he was never embarrassed by his arousal, he certainly didn't need to encourage any of his students.

"Any questions?" Silence filled the room as every eye stared at him. "Class dismissed. And read the required assignments. They are not optional."

From the corner of his eye, he noticed Miss McGuire scowled as she slammed her book closed and stuffed it into her bag.

Pat Goldsmith, his TA, sidled up to her with an expression of comfort and compassion. Miss McGuire smiled up at him, though she kept her lips closed as she smiled.

Professor Lupin pursed his lips, wondering why his TA would be attracted to someone so careless.

His students filed out of the room, leaving him alone with his Powerpoint presentation and his thoughts. As he ejected the flash drive, he wondered if the angel would have noticed the small piece of plastic fall from his pocket rather than his phone. Would he have missed her entirely and not seen her otherwise?

Who the hell was she and why was she sticking in his mind like lyrics to a catchy love song?

Lupin picked up his coat, tossed his empty coffee cup in the wastebasket, and left for his office. Now wasn't the time to think about angels and doves and whatever shade of pink created just for her brilliant blush. He shifted his coat in front of his trousers to hide his thickening arousal.

He needed to get back to his office. At least there he could lock the door and find a few moments alone to relieve himself of the impressively large problem in his pants.

Then he needed a stiff drink.


	3. Chapter 3

A dull ache throbbed deep in the marrow of Holly's bones as she tugged open the door to Brimstone and scanned the room for Nikki. After falling off a small step ladder at work and landing on her ass in front of her boss, Holly wanted nothing more than to crawl under the fluffy comforter on her bed at home and forget about today.

But she promised Nikki she would attend their small happy hour, although the time for drink specials had long since passed and Holly was feeling every adjective but happy. However, she knew the time had come to accept her new status as a single woman and shake off the funk of her breakup. And what better way to integrate herself back into society and the dating scene than with cocktails?

Though she would love to trade cocktails for her bed and some Tylenol right about her. Her ass ached with every step.

Nikki's copper hair shone like a beacon under the neon Coors Light logo reflecting off her glasses and ponytail. She smiled up at a tall African American man with a dazzling smile and buff forearms. The muscles stretched the fabric of his chocolate-colored leather jacket. If a python tried to crush him, he could probably flex those arms and shred the poor reptile into pieces.

Nikki always had good taste in men. Lucky for the redhead, those dazzling men flocked to her like moths to a flame.

Holly ignored the tingling of jealousy and tampered down the small spark of arousal that stirred in her lower belly at the sight of the stranger's pearly smile and thick arms. He was off limits.

Sex was off limits.

Holly strolled over to Nikki, waiting to catch her friend's eye. Nikki turned to her as Holly sauntered up beside her with an awkward wave. "Hey," Holly smiled at Nikki.

"You made it!" Nikki shrieked, stumbling a bit as she threw an arm around Holly's shoulders and yanked her into her shoulder. Holly's chin caught over Nikki's bony shoulder and slammed her hard in the throat.

Holly coughed as Nikki released her and leaned back on the bar. She wobbled a bit she waved the bartender over, pointing at her empty vodka cranberry. Nikki asked for two, pointed to the stranger's glass, and placed her glass of clear ice on the counter. "So, introdic… no, introdact… no wait, how do you say it?"

"Introduction?" the stranger asked, his eyebrow raising in surprise.

"Right!" Nikki laughed like he just said the punch line to a great joke. "Introductions. Holly, I want you to meet Patrick Goldsmith. He's a teacher's assistant in one of my classes. Pat, this is my best friend in the whole wide world, Holly Beddoes."

Holly stuck her hand out to the man. "Nice to meet you."

He took her pale hand in his and gave a firm shake. Holly wondered how his hands were so soft and so warm, even after holding a cold drink. His beer swirled in the bottom of his glass, an inch of amber liquid left. "Nice to meet you as well. I'm glad you could join us." His friendly smile matched the friendly twinkle in his eye.

"I'm glad I could make it," Holly smiled back at him.

The bartender placed two vodka cranberries and a tall glass of beer on the counter in front of Nikki. Nikki handed her a chilled glass.

"I propose a toast," Nikki giggled as she and Pat grasped their drinks. Pat set him empty glass on the counter before turning his attention back to Nikki. "To surviving another one of Professor Limpdick's lectures."

Pat frowned at her. "He's not so bad, you know."

Nikki pouted up at her friend. "But he embarrassed me today." Shetook a long sip of her drink as she eyed Pat over the rim of her cup.

"What happened? I think I'm missing something here," Holly said.

Pat grimaced. "Professor Lupin enjoys calling out on students who he thinks he can embarrass. Today was Nikki's turn."

Holly gasped. "That's horrible."

"He called me out on not reading the assignment." Nikki's crimson lips puckered like eating a lemon. "Like I'm some sort of child. He tortured me in front of the whole class."

Pat shook his head and tried to hide a smile behind his glass. "I wouldn't call that torture, Nikki."

Nikki's head bobbed as she wobbled a bit. "Yeah, it was," she slurred. "Medieval, torture-loving, arrogant, academic asshat."

Pat dropped his voice to a whisper only Holly could hear. "He's not so bad."

"Easy for you to say," Nikki said. Clearly Pat didn't speak low enough. "You're one of his faaavorites." A small bit of cocktail sloshed from the edge of her glass before she raised it to her lips and drank. Nikki tilted her glass up in the air, the ice cubes clinking in the glass as the met her lips. The last few drops of cranberry liquid sliding into her mouth.

"Thirsty?" Holly asked.

Nikki nodded, her head lolling a bit. "I want to get drunk."

"Well, slow down a bit so the rest of us can keep up," Pat said with a teasing tone and a worried look on his face. He asked the bartender for a seltzer water with lemon as Nikki slid her empty glass beside Pat's first empty beer glass.

"Hurry it up, slowpokes." Nikki stuck her tongue out at them.

"I think I'm going to take my time," Holy said. "This particular bottle of Ocean Spray seems to be a very fine cranberry vintage. Wouldn't want to waste it."

Nikki's laugh bounced around the room like a canon blast. The laugh twisted into a cackle as tears streamed down her eyes. Mascara smudged in the corners of Nikki's eyes as she wiped away the tears. "Oh my God, I love you girlie."

"Love you too," Holly frowned. "How many drinks have you had?"

Nikki shrugged as Pat answered, "Four."

"Four?" Holly gaped. "You only got here an hour before me."

Nikki pouted. "I've had a rough day. Professor Limpdick—"

"Lupin," Pat said.

"Humiliated me in his stupid seminar. And I thought I would enjoy his class. I should have known better. Everyne said he's a tough teacher, but I was curious."

Pat sighed. "Ignorance is bliss."

"I say there is no darkness but ignorance," Holly countered before sipping her cocktail.

"Shakespeare scholars," Nikki rolled her eyes. "You all can make anything sound pretentious," she slurred.

Holly laughed. "It's a gift. No legacy is so rich as honesty."

Nikki stuck her tongue out as Holly laughed again.

"So, are you a graduate student?" Pat asked Holly.

She nodded, her cheeks warming as she smiled. The liquor heated her blood. "Yes, I study Shakespeare."

"Ah, the Bard," Pat nodded.

"And you must be studying psychology if you and Nikki are taking the same seminar," she noted.

Pat gulped about a third of his beer before answering. "Yes, I'm a doctoral candidate. Professor Lupin is guiding my dissertation. In fact, I submitted a revised proposal to him just this morning."

"Maybe that's why he was in such a bad mood," Nikki chimed in. "Your ideas were so much more brilliant than his that he simply couldn't stand it and had to get off on some sort of power trip."

Pat shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he glanced across the bar. "Oh, you have no idea. And speak of the devil."

"Oh, not you too. I'm starting to hate Shakespeare," Nikki groaned.

"That's not Shakespeare," Holly interjected as Pat pointed over Holly's shoulder.

All three sets of eyes gazed across the bar and landed on a man wearing a Burberry trench coat and a sour disposition. He swirled a glass of amber liquid in his hand as his gaze focused on the phone in his hand.

Holly stared for a moment, trying to place his face. He looked familiar. That coat. The gray case on his phone. That glorious mess of shaggy blonde hair, both disheveled and somehow neatly groomed. Perfect sex hair.

Holly's mouth watered as she watched his fingers fly across his phone screen, probably still cracked in the corner.

"I know him." Holly heard the words slip from her lips before she could stop them from escaping.

"How? You're not a psychology student," Nikki asked.

"I saw him this morning. He dropped his phone. I picked it up. He never even had the courtesy to thank me."

"Sounds like Professor Limpdick," Nikki growled. She took the glass of seltzer water and sipped through the black straw.

"Lupin," Pat snapped in a hushed tone.

Nikki swatted away his name like an annoying fly. She took a wobbly step forward and grabbed Holly's arm. Nikki teetered in a small zigzag, dragging Holly across the bar as Pat follow beside Nikki.

"What are you doing?" Pat bent lower to growl in Nikki's ear, but she continued her pursuit and ignored him.

Then she embarrassed herself far more than Professor Lupin ever could in any of his lectures—she drunkenly shouted to Professor Lupin from across the bar, shifting the bar's attention to her and, by association, Lupin.

. "Professor Lupin! Hey, Professor Lupin!"


	4. Chapter 4

The honey colored whiskey swirled around the glass as Lupin's stomach ached with a memory of the Marauders. Drinking firewhiskey on James' stag night. Mixing a potion the next morning to cure their hangovers so Lily would be clueless to their late night shenanigans. Nearly nine years ago, he lost them. He lost them all.

He raised the rim of the glass to his lips, taking another smoky sip of Crown Royal XR, the best whiskey this dive bar carried. Normally he preferred to drink at Campers, his favorite local cigar bar. There the whiskey was top shelf, the cigars hand rolled, and the hostesses at the ready with a smile and a wink.

But tonight, he needed peace. The wolf inside him wrestled with his control, struggling to break free. Irrational rage and frustration bubbled in his blood. Lupin wanted to break something, smash down the bar doors, and light the bar ablaze. All because he was bored.

Remus Lupin was bored out of his skull.

He tilted the glass back and swallowed half of it. Burning warmth spread throughout his chest, slowly numbing his senses and fogging the memories of the Marauders.

The glass clinked on the bar top as he placed it back on the grainy wood top. Tugging his phone from his pocket, he flipped it back to an article in Psychology Today which he had been reading before his afternoon lecture.

"Professor Lupn! Hey, Professor Lupn!"

Lupin's insides froze as adrenaline punched through his system.

Seeing students outside of class was horrible enough. Students addressing him outside of class, in a bar, on a Friday night… The wolf inside him growled, wanting to rip something to shreds.

His back froze like a steel pipe as slowly, his head turned.

Nikki McGuire's beaming smile and overarching wave sent his stomach rolling. Her cheery grin and bouncy steps only heightened his agitation. His grip on his glass tightened before he released it before it shattered. A trip to the emergency room for stitches in his hand was even worse than boredom.

As she wound her way towards him, Lupin's gaze flickered to the mirror behind the bar. A crowd of students hovered not too far behind him. Simply turning in his seat and casually leaving was not a viable option with a dozen kids blocking the door.

He finished his drink as the clacking of her shoes moved closer and closer, announcing the arrival of his doom. He raised his glass to the bartender and requested a refill.

"Hi, Professor Lupin," Pat interjected as Nikki stumbled to a clumsy halt a yard away from Lupin. Pat nodded to the professor with a worried smile painted over his face.

Nikki grinned so wide her face might split in half. The potent stench of alcohol rolled off her like an invisible mist.

"Good evening," he addressed his students with a deep frown.

"What's a professor doing in Brimstone?" Nikki slurred a bit as she leaned back.

Pat slid am arm around her, propping her upright as Nikki stared at him through her unnecessarily large glasses. Frames that consumed half a woman's face were never attractive.

"I was enjoying the peace and quiet," Lupin said pointedly as the bartender flipped the bottle upside down over his glass and poured him more whiskey,

Nikki giggled. "Well, looks like we interrupted you."

Lupin fought back a snide comment or an eye roll. He glared at Miss McGuire, hiding his amusement. He waited for her to blush or stammer and turn around. Or better yet, he waited for her to sigh, admit defeat, and leave the bar.

"Oh well. Looks like we'll just have to keep you company."

Before his protest left his lips, Nikki hopped onto a rickety barstool, leaving an empty chair between them. Thank Merlin for small favors.

"Nikki, I think—" Pat began.

Nikki waved a hand in the air like a drunken queen announcing her next royal decree. "Nonsense! No one should drink alone on a Friday night. Even torture-loving professors."

Torture-loving?

A small chuckle rattled in his chest. Thank the stars above that she—and none of his students—had any idea about his scandalous nights with women who loved his brand of torture.

"Holly, come sit down," Nikki slurred. Patting the seat between her and Lupin. Her bony pale fingers rubbed the cracked leather on the stool before pulling away.

"Nikki, I wouldn't want to intrude on the Professor's night."

A sweet voice coated him like honey, pooling around his groin until his cock began to stiffen in his pants. The light airy whisper sounded vaguely familiar.

Pat's large body shifted to allow someone to pass him.

The air knocked from Lupin's lungs. A beautiful, ethereal creature stepped in front of him. His angel with dove white and rose pink skin.

She moved closer to him and he found himself leaning back in his chair to admire her. His eyes traced over the wavy locks of golden hair that spiraled to the bottoms of her breasts. Her ivory skin offered a compelling backdrop to those plush red lips and wide emerald eyes. They sparkled at him like gemstones embedded in a walking, living piece of art.

The angel held out a dainty hand to him, her long fingers tipped with pearly pink paint. "Hi," she said. "I'm Holly."

Lupin discovered his mouth was wide open as he tried to speak. He stared at her lovely hand. His blood hummed as he reached out his own hand. His fingers brushed against her creamy smooth skin, like she bathed in milk. "Holly." He tasted her name on his tongue, feeling it fill his mouth like a fine wine. "A beautiful name." His lips twisted into a hybrid of a smirk and a smile. "Professor Remus Lupin."

His stomach clenched like a nervous schoolboy. Her beauty, her presence, her very being shook him to the core. The glitter in her eyes knocked him far enough off his high horse that it took him a moment to regain his composure. As he gave her slender hand a firm shake, he discovered he was smiling at her.

And she was smiling back.

The wolf inside him yearned to howl at the moon and run laps of excitement around the bar.

Her smile dazzled him. A perfect row of pearly white teeth hidden behind a parted wall of crimson red, like blood on a wolf's mouth after a fresh kill. The thought aroused him and he hoped his position hid the growing bulge in his trousers.

A wicked image of her flashed in his mind. Those glittering eyes gazing up at him between his legs. A ring of that blood red lipstick smeared along his cock as those plush lips parted for him.

"Please, sit down," he choked as he fought the image out of his head. He eased his hand away from hers, the rough pad of his thumb sliding over her lifeline as she dropped her hand to her side.

"Thank you," she said. The rose pink color flooded over her cheeks and Lupin's hands twitched, longing to touch her cheeks.

 _O, that I were a glove upon that hand, that I might tough that cheek…_

"I have to admit, I'm a bit surprised." Her musical voice filled the air like a hall of windchimes. "I have been here a hundred times and not once have I ever seen a professor darken the door of Brimstone Tavern." She brought her lips to her glass and tilted the rest of the watery red liquid into her mouth. The ice cubes rattled as she set the empty glass onto the bar.

"Despite what some people may think, professors are people too."

"If you prick us, do we not bleed," Holly said.

A short laugh warmed his chest as he smiled at her again. Her eyes twinkled as she rewarded him with a smile of her own.

"The woman knows her Shakespeare," Pat interjected, breaking the spell for a moment.

Lupin frowned at his TA. He'd forgotten he was not alone with Holly.

Holly—what a beautiful name for a Christmas angel.

"I study Shakespeare." She turned to Pat and offered him a smile too.

The wolf inside him snarled at Pat.

"She can quote him like there's no tomorrow," Nikki said as she placed the thick black straw in her mouth and slurped up some of her seltzer water, her lips smacking together. "And she… Whoops!"

Crack!

Glass shattered below their feet as Nikki's cup slipped from her hand. As Nikki bent forward in her seat to try and pick up the pieces, Pat grabbed her around the waist. He hoisted her back up until her back pressed against the bar.

"I'll clean it up, sweetheart," Marilyn the bartender said with a sympathetic smile. "Perhaps she's had a bit too much." She shot a pointed look to Pat before turning around to grab a broom and standing dustpan from the corner of the bar.

Somehow, with the breaking of a glass, the mood in the bar shifted. The air felt stale and cold. Holy, the beautiful Christmas angel, was no longer smiling. The twinkle in her eyes faded.

Holly pulled her phone out of her purse. "It's getting late. I think I should get her home," Holly frowned.

Lupin offered her his hand as she eased herself off the high bar stool. She gave a tight lipped smile as her face flushed a brighter shade of pink. Placing her hand in his for the briefest of moments, she took a wide step of the glass shards before releasing him.

Her warmth lingered in his fingers.

She slid an arm around Nikki and helped her friend stand up straight.

"I'll order you ladies a car," Pat said as he began to follow them outside.

Locks of Holly's hair swished around her shoulder as she glanced back towards him. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Professor."

"The pleasure is all mine," he growled as her head turned away and she continued to carry Nikki outside the bar, disappearing behind the flimsy wooden door.

"I've heard of blowing off steam, but that ain't the way to do it." Marilyn huffed as she ducked under the bar with her broom and began sweeping up shards of glass. Neon bounced off the cut crystal like a hellish disco ball until every piece had been swept into a black dust pan caked in brown grime.

Lupin could only frown. A low buzzing on the counter, alerted him to a dull light at his side. Someone's phone received a notice. A foot away from him, the screen flashed with a familiar red and black icon. Not his phone. But definitely not a common app. Certainly not Facebook or Twitter.

The small SpankR logo flashed across the screen. The thick whip was twisted into a S as a partially open pair of handcuffs made up the R shape.

The phone's owner was nowhere in sight, though it was in front of the seat Holly sat a several minutes ago. Marilyn paid no notice as she crept back under the bar, the glass clinking in the plastic bin.

Lupin reached across the bar and slid to unlock the phone. He tapped the icon and an image of a man in very tight leather pants with a tube sick stuffed in the front popped up. His face and feet were not visible, but his torso looked flat and unimpressive, like a gawky teenager but somehow older and doughier.

"Hi. Gorgeous pic. Want to bark for me, little bitch?"

Lupin crinkled his face in disgust.

He ignored the message and pressed the "dungeon" button, which happened to be the home button on the app.

Those twinkling eye stared up at him. A bright red ball spread those crimson lips wide open as those eyes pleaded with him, teasing him.

Holly was on SpankR. Holly was into BDSM.

His sweet Christmas angel was also a seductive submissive.

The erection in his pants turned to steel— thicker and much more real than tube sock man's bulge.

Checking to see if Marilyn still had her back turned, Lupin dropped the phone into his coat pocket. He pulled out his wallet, dropped a hundred dollar bill over the edge of the bar so only Marilyn could see the money, and left the bar, hurrying for his penthouse home. His cock needed release and the wolf inside him needed a plan of attack.

***Thank you all so so much for reading! Please review! Pretty please?


	5. Chapter 5

"The mac and cheese here is the bomb." A small bit of cheese stuck in the corner of Nikki's lips as she spoke.

"Mhmm," Holly answered before she swallowed. "It's so good. I wish the food tasted like this when I was an undergrad."

"If I was an undergrad here, my freshman fifteen would have been the freshman fifty." Nikki took a long sip of soda as Holly speared more noodles onto her fork. "Do you remember that horrible charbroiled chicken they used to serve?"

Holly chuckled. "Yes. Didn't Mark toss it on the floor once and it bounced across the kitchen?"

Nikki's redhair flew back as she laughed. "Yes, it skipped like when you try to skip one of those flat rocks over a lake."

"Mrs. Betty screamed at him for that too," Holly smiled. "Sometimes I miss those days."

"Sometimes they feel like ages ago," Nikki added as her phone buzzed on the cafeteria table. "Email," she frowned. As she swiped a thin finger across her screen, she tapped and checked her messages while Holly continued to eat.

"Looks like I found your phone," Nikki said.

Relief relaxed some of the tension in Holly's neck. "Oh, thank God. Where?"

Nikki cleared her throat. "Dear Miss McGuire. After you and your colleagues left the bar on Friday night, I discovered Miss Holly's phone. Please give me her email address so that I can correspond with her directly and return it. Thank you for your courtesies. Very Truly Yours, Professor R.J. Lupin. P.S.-Don't forget to do the necessary, mandatory, obligatory reading assignments."

"He forgot required," Holly added.

Nikki's gaze rose to meet Holly's. "He's such a prick."

Holly could only nod as her stomach churned whatever food was still in her stomach. Professor Lupin had her phone? Why hadn't he simply called Nikki and asked her to get it from him?

"Is it alright if I give him your email?" Nikki asked, her fingers hovering over the screen waiting for her consent.

"Yes, of course." Holly forced herself to take another bite of mac and cheese as Nikki typed into her phone.

"I don't know why he waited until after the weekend to email me," Nikki said as she placed her phone back on the table. "Didn't he think you'd be looking for it over the weekend?"

Holly shrugged. "I don't know why he did it. I don't really know him." Even as she said this, a strange heat warmed her cheeks. True, she knew nearly nothing about Professor Lupin, but every day, every night since their encounter, his warm smile and distant eyes haunted her.

"You ok?" Nikki asked, nudging Holly's arm.

The small jostle snapped her from her daydream as she blinked back to reality. "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry, I just… my mind wandered off."

"Okay," Nikki simply said, not pressing the matter further. "I'm going to the library tonight to work on an assignment. Want to meet me later?"

Holly frowned. "I'm sorry, I can't. I have my Monday meetings."

Nikki glanced up from her empty bowl. "Oh, right. Sorry, I forgot. How are those going?"

"As well as they can go, I guess. Meetings on Monday. Therapy on Thursdays. And now that I'm not seeing Edward anymore, I am on a very long, very celibate stretch for the foreseeable future."

Nikki patted the top of Holly's hand with friendly affection. A small comfort from a bit of chaste human contact eased the gutted feeling Holly's chest. "I'm sorry. You know I'm here if you ever need to talk. I'm not an expert, but sometimes it can be helpful to vent."

Holly patted the top of Nikki's hand in return before pulling he hand away and back onto her lap. "Thank you. I appreciate the offer, but I'll be fine."

"So, no more kinky dating for a while?" Nikki asked.

Holly's shoulder slumped. "No, my therapist thinks it would be best for me to refrain from seeing anyone romantically for a little while. She told me she's worried that if I rush into a new relationship too soon, it might trigger some… other old habits. She's concerned I might use dating as an excuse to fall back into some of my old ways."

Nikki nodded. "Understandable. Like my mom used to tell me, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

Holly nodded, feeling like someone had shoveled out her stomach, even though it was full of mac and cheese. "I should get going. I have a Chaucer seminar to get to."

"Sounds exciting." Sarcasm dripped from Nikki's voice.

Holly slung her tattered backpack over her shoulder and picked up her empty container. "I don't need exciting. I need a good grade."

"Bookworm." Nikki stuck her tongue out at Holly as she dumped her trash into the wastebasket.

"Bookworm who wants to get into Penn's doctoral program," Holly reminded her.

"Have fun in class. Play nice with the other kids."

This time, Holly stuck her tongue out. "Thanks mom." As she turned and walked out of the cafeteria, she caught a few amused looks from the undergrads as she strutted past. She might be older, but she was allowed an immature moment now and then.

She hurried across campus, the chill in the air escaping through her coat and tickling her chest as she dashed towards 33rd Street. Her boots echoed down the hallway as she hurried towards class, bursting through the doorway just as Dr. Farsai was loading her PowerPoint onto the screen to begin her lecture.

Holly climbed up the theater-style rows and sat down in the top corner of the room. Careful to cause as few disruptions today as possible, she gingerly slipped her laptop from her bag and booted it up.

She typed several notes while she waited for her ancient dinosaur of a laptop to connect to the school's student Wi-Fi. She checked her student email before looking at her personal account.

At the top, an unread message was bolded. The name "Remus Lupin" teased her. She clicked and waited for the email to load, silently cursing herself for not buying a faster laptop before the semester started.

 _Dear Holly,_

 _I apologize for not reaching out to you sooner regarding your missing phone. You must have been worried and it was certainly neglectful on my part to wait so long. Please forgive me._

 _I would prefer to return your phone in person as I do not trust the school's mailboxes. There are a depressing number of sticky fingers lurking on campus. Kindly provide me your schedule so that I can coordinate and find a mutually convenient time for you to retrieve your phone._

 _Warm Regards,_

 _Prof. R.J. Lupin_

Holly tilted her head from side to side like a child checking for cars before crossing the street. No one was watching her. No one cared about her personal business.

 _Dear Professor Lupin,_

 _Thank you for finding and offering to return my phone. I will be in class until three o'clock this afternoon, and I have to be off campus no later than six thirty for an appointment. If this does not work with your schedule, I can also give you my availability tomorrow. Despite most myths about millennials, I can live without my phone for another twenty-four hours without losing my sanity._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Holly Beddoes_

Holly pressed send and began to type more notes as her professor droned on about politics in Chaucer's age. As Dr. Farsai launched into an explanation that she thought was most exciting, Holly pressed the back of er hand to her lips and stifled a yawn.

A small notification message popped in the bottom corner of her laptop screen. A reply from Professor Lupin.

Holly fought back a smile spurred by this mysterious professor as she opened her browser.

 _Miss Beddoes,_

 _As an expert on sanity, insanity and the gray areas in between, I must admit I am quite impressed by your technological sacrifice. Many of my students would be in straight jackets after a phone-free weekend, I can assure you._

 _If you would be so kind, please meet me in my office at five o'clock this afternoon to retrieve your phone. My office building and suite are in my signature line below._

 _-Prof. R.J. Lupin_

Excitement flooded through her as she typed.

 _Professor,_

 _I will see you at five o'clock. Thanks again._

 _Holly_

She exited out of her browser and brought her notes back up on screen as Dr. Farsai began a Powerpoint presentation on the influence of Catholicism in Chaucer's works.

Dr. Farsai's soft voice floated in the air, lulling Holly's mind away from her lecture and putting her in a trance.

Her mind wandered out of the classroom, across the street and into Professor Lupin's office. The hazy image cleared in her mind as she imagined him smirking at her over his desk. His fingertips touched as those dazing blue eyes roamed over her, sitting in a chair across from him.

She could almost hear the hungry growl trapped in his throat as his gaze would dip lower, pausing to admire her ample cleavage in a button down shirt he would soon rip off with his large paws.

His deep grumbling voice would command her to get on her knees and crawl over to him.

"Ahem." Someone coughed beside her as someone in the front of the classroom laughed.

The coughing student nodded to the door as the last of the students filed out.

Holly glanced at her laptop, the screen switched off to sleep mode for God knows how long. Pretty stock images of waterfalls and forests shifted from one to the other before she closed the computer and hoped Dr. Farsai was too preoccupied with her lecture to notice Holly's lack of attention.

As she shoved her laptop back in her book bag, Holly noticed Dr. Farsai was no longer in the classroom.

Thank heaven for small favors.

She glanced at her watch—her late uncle's watch-and wondered how to kill two hours before her meeting with Professor Lupin.

Holly stood and did what any good student in her position would do.

She strolled off to find coffee and go to the lbrary.


	6. Chapter 6

***Hi everyone! I've had a horrible, awful, terrible day and need some love. If you could leave a review it would really help brighten my otherwise miserable day. XOXO ~Wendy

Lupin gazed through the drafty, diamond-cut windows behind his desk. People bustled by, wandering to and fro like two lines of ants moving in opposite directions along the building. On the warm, sunny days of late Spring, students would lounge by the trees, reading,, talking, playing frisbee.

But on cold, blustery gray days like this one, the campus looked bleak. Students pulled their jackets in closer to their chests for warmth. Professors popped the collars of their coats to block out the cold.

And, as always, there was at least one man on campus wearing shorts with his hoodie.

Lupin rested his forearm along the metal crosses of the window, the cold seeping in thick lines through his suit jacket. Even the expensive fabric could not warm him against the brutal Pennsylvania chill.

A small knock at the door shifted his focus.

"Come in." His voice echoed in the small office space, large enough to be considered an office by collegiate standards, though his walk-in closet at home was twice the size of this generous broom closet.

"Professor Lupin?" His Christmas angel's sweet voice lifted his spirits and warmed him like mulled wine. He caught his smile reflected in the old glass as he turned to face her.

Those large, brilliant eyes dazzled him as they met his gaze.

"Miss Beddoes," he purred. The wolf inside him circled, stalking her. "Please come in."

She eased the door shut, the hinges creaking. After the door clicked, a small silence ensued.

"Thank you for finding my phone," she said, that faint blush creeping up her neck.

"My finding it is hardly worth praise, Miss Beddoes," he said, trying to stop himself from sounding like a pompous ass. "However, my returning it might be worth acknowledgement." And too late. He sounded obnoxious, even to his own ears. "Phones like this can go for quite a bit of money on the black market." He tried to ease his voice with a teasing tone.

"My phone wouldn't be worth a cup of coffee," she frowned. "I can't afford—"

Lupin raised his hand and stopped her from continuing. "I'm sorry. I meant no insult. It was simply a joke, and one in poor taste." He shoved his hand into the pockets of his trousers, the bottom of his suit jacketing parting. He did not care if she saw the outline of his hardening cock in his pants. "I'm sorry."

Her gaze flickered down to his groin for an instant before meeting his eyes. Lupin could have swore he imagined it, until that delicate pink tongue slipped between those plush lips. Holly licked her bottom lip for an instant before her tongue retreated.

His cock twitched.

"Do you have my phone?" Her breathy voice left little to Lupin's imagination. The wolf in him could sense her arousal, her curiosity.

His wolf paced faster, waiting for Lupin to attack and ravage her.

"Yes, I have your phone," he answered with a tight smile. He pulled her phone from his pocket, still warm from his body heat.

He held it out to her and a small chuckle escaped.

Her frown disappeared and curiosity filled her expression. "What's so funny?" she asked, taking the phone from him, careful to avoid making contact with his fingers.

"This is quite an interesting role reversal," he noted. "The other day, you returned my phone to me. Now I'm privileged enough to do the same. Karma complete."

She smiled and his heart punched through his gut. A smile as beautiful as hers was the reason artists painted and sculpted and wrote and composed.

A small strand of hair slipped across her cheeks. Her slender, pale fingers brushed back the wayward lock of hair.

Lupin's hands twitched to reach out and touch that strand of hair. The golden strand looked like spun gold woven by Arachne herself.

"Well, thank you." She tried to slip her phone into the pocket of her jeans, but it was too wide to fit. She maneuvered her horribly worn down backpack over her shoulder and slid the phone into the front pocket.

"That's a hideous bag," Lupin blurted before he could stop himself.

Embarrassment stained her cheeks and for once Lupin despised the color, because it reminded him that he embarrassed her. Her blush brought a wave of shame.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I don't know what's gotten over me today."

"I should go." The meek whisper of her voice left a gaping hole in his chest, dug out with a sharp, rusty shovel.

"No, please." Lupin paused, wondering what to say next. She had her phone. He had no reason to detain her further. Yet the thought of her leaving his office and never returning set a small wave of panic tossing in his stomach.

"Sit," he commanded.

Her gaze cast downward as she shuffled around to the rickety chair across from his desk and sat, her bookbag resting on the floor between her legs. Her eyes stayed downward. Like she was waiting for his next command.

The thought sent a rush of lust to his groin.

He strolled around the edge of his desk, stopping two feet in front of her, he eased back, leaning against the desk, its edge pressing against the muscles along the back of his thighs. "Be my dinner companion tomorrow evening."

His little dove's eyes widened before daring to gaze upward. He caught her gaze following the hard lines and planes of his body, slowly rising until she met his eyes.

Those parted red lips revealed a small sliver of pearly white teeth. His mouth watered as he fought the urge to bend down and capture that full lower lip between his teeth and gently nibble on her.

He waited, his eyebrow rising as he paused. He wondered if she would run and flee, if she would blush, if she would stand and slap him across the face. He insulted her twice in the span of five minutes. He would most certainly deserve a slap from her.

"Yes." The breathy word lingered in the air like sweet rain.

Lupin fought the smile from his face as the wolf howled in triumph. "Good. Write down your address." He picked up a pad of neon green Post-it notes from his desk and handed her a cheap Bic pen.

She placed the pad in her lap, her shoulders hunched over like she was taking an exam and was trying to block anyone's view of her answers. She handed him back the pen and paper, her gaze meeting his.

"Thank you," he said, taking them from her and placing them on his desk. "I will pick you up at seven."

Holly rose from her chair, the handle of her bag held in her hand. Her knuckles blanched to a ghostly white as she kept the bag in front of her like a shield. Without a word, she cast her eyes downward and turned to leave.

"Holly." The hardness in his voice rang out like a brass bell. "Please look at me."

She turned, her thick charcoal lashes fanned out to hide some of the twinkle in her eyes.

"Do you want to go to dinner with me?" Her hesitation, her distance, killed him. He wanted to see a smile, or at least to watch her relax a bit in his presence. Her ridged body sent waves of tension rolling from her, poisoning his otherwise good mood.

"I wouldn't have said yes if I didn't." The streak of confidence in her voice warmed a spot in his chest.

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow." He offered her a pleasant smile.

She smiled back before turning and walking out of his office.

He wanted to do backflips across his office. He managed to make her smile. No tricks. No jokes. No physiological methods.

He, Remus Lupin, made that little dove smile. With a grin that would not quit, he turned back to his seat and sat down, Googling directions to her house and searching for the phone number to Champan Steakhouse.

As he called in reservations for tomorrow evening, he skimmed the picture of her small twin home in Google Street view. Strange for a graduate student to own a small home like that. Did she live with family? Was she single, or did she live with another man? Or another woman? Perhaps she was bisexual? Or maybe she had a roommate?

A tornado of questions swept through his mind, clearing his head of all productivity for the day.

"I'm sorry sir, we have no availability tomorrow," said the squeaky voice on the other end of the line.

Lupin frowned. He had one night, one shot, one chance to impress this little dove—to sweep Holly off her feet. He would not let a booked reservation log stop him.

"One moment," he said to the host as he bent down into his bottom drawer and pulled out a long, thin case. With a gentle pop, he unlatched the lid and pulled out his thin holly wand and muttered an incantation low enough the host could not hear him.

"Oh," the waiter's voice crackled through the ancient landline. "It looks like we do in fact have an open table. The chef's table seems to be available."

"Perfect," Remus muttered as he placed his wand back into the box.

"Your name, sir?"

"Remus Lupin," he said, closing the drawer and turning back to his computer.

"Thank you sir. We'll see you tomorrow."

"Thank you." He placed the phone back on its cradle and leaned back in his chair.

Magic. He hated it. Loathed it. Magic killed his closest friends. Magic destroyed lives.

But for Holly, a little magic was worth any price.

***I hope you guys are enjoying the story! Please please revew!


	7. Chapter 7

The century-old wood creaked under Holly's weight as she stepped down her steep stairs. One-by-one she eased her way down the staircase, her four-inch stiletto heels steady with each step. Her ankles were strong, but nerves made her knees weak.

She was going on a date with Professor Remus Lupin.

The bizarreness of it all made her wonder if she was dreaming.

As she carefully stepped off the bottom step and onto the first floor of her house, she pinched her wrist. The sharp string reminded her she was not dreaming. So did the pinchy feeling in the tips of her toes.

She examined her reflection in the glass of her curio cabinet. Her mom's collection of snow globes stood motionless, no falling snow and no cascade of wet glitter. How long had it been since she took these out and dusted them, cleaned them, hell even just gave them a purposeful shake?

Holly turned, feeling the flowy fabric twirl above her knees. Her legs were encased in sandy colored stockings. The tight lacey bands of her thigh highs clung to her upper thighs like a second skin, making the buckles from her garter belt dig into the front and back of her thighs just a bit too much to be comfortable.

She went commando.

The deep red left her ivory skin glowing like porcelain. A small choker of faux rubies circled her neck like someone had slit her throat. Her lips matched the crimson dress and her charcoal gray lashes lift her eyes a bit wider than normal.

At five of seven, Holly wondered if she had completely lost her mind as she opened her curio cabinet and took out a snow globe with the skyline of Seattle filling the inside. She gave it a gentle shake. Some white flurries lifted in the water before falling to the bottom. Holly gave it a more vigorous shake before turning it upside down, the right side up again.

Chunky snowflakes covered the tops of the buildings, like the city was captured in a cheery blizzard.

Satisfied, Holly placed it back in her cabinet before picking up another globe. The inside of this one contained the North Pole and a little gingerbread house with two smiling elves and a reindeer.

The gentle tapping at her door jolted Holly back to her senses. She placed the globe back in its proper place and closed the door before hurrying towards the door. Her knees wobbled harder as she forced herself to stand straight. Her hand on the doorknob slipped for a moment as her clammy palms struggled to get a grip.

She took a long slow breath. Smiled. Gripped the knob harder. Twisted.

"Good evening." Lupin's deep purr hit her senses before she could fully see him.

He smiled down at her as he stood on her porch, his eyes twinkling in the damp porchlight.

"Hello. Please, come in," she said, stepping aside.

He stepped into her living room enough that she could close the door behind him. Her gaze never left him as she drunk in the incredible sight of him standing in her living room. He swelled, filling up the space and sucking in all of the oxygen from the room. His presence was overwhelming in her small home.

"You have a nice place," he said, his smile faltering a bit as she looked around.

Embarrassment pinched her cheeks as she trailed his gaze. Her rickety second-hand furniture felt immature and her poor paintjob on the walls left her wishing she had enough money to hire a professional.

"It's not much," she said. "But it's home."

"Meow!" From the top of the cat perch, a black furball agreed with his owner.

Professor Lupin turned on the heels of his expensive Oxford shoes, his gaze narrowing on the feline. "So, you're a cat person?" The corner of his lip lifted in amusement, as though he was sharing in some private joke.

"I'm an animal person," she corrected him. "Schrody was my uncle's cat."

"Schrody," Lupin paused. "As in Schrodinger's cat?"

"Precisely." Holly offered him a warm smile, but his smile vanished as his gaze returned to her.

"So are you cat sitting for your uncle?" he asked.

Holly shook her head. "No, my uncle passed away about two years ago. He left me this house, and I couldn't abandon Schrody in some shelter. Besides, he's good company. He keeps away vermin."

Lupin scoffed. "Clearly he's not doing a satisfactory job."

Holly opened her mouth to speak, but Lupin strolled past her into the small dining room. He stopped in front of one of her three bookshelves. His hands clasped behind his back, his broad shoulder expanding the top half of the bookcase as he kept his back turned to her.

"I was an English major in college," Holly added, trying to break some lingering awkwardness. "I also had a minor in Greek and Roman mythology."

Lupin's gaze scrolled across each shelf, lingering n the titles as though he were in a bookshop, hunting for a specific title. "This is a vast collection, more than any English major would have needed to read."

Holly sauntered up to him and pointed at three copies of Lord of the Rings, all crammed alongside one another. "Some of them are repeats. I needed specific editions for certain classes. Others were my uncle's or my mother's books that were added to my collection when they passed away."

"When did you mother die?" Lupin asked, not taking his gaze off the books.

"When I was seventeen," Holly sighed, unable to hide the lingering sadness in her voice, even though it had been a decade since her mother passed away. "We lived here with my uncle for as long as I can remember. I think he enjoyed having company in the house. He was one of those hermit types. I was never certain what he did for a living, but I know he worked with computers.

Professor Lupin rolled his eyes. "These days everyone works with computers, Miss Beddoes. I suggest you chose your phrases more particularly."

Holly felt the heat rise on her cheeks, though for a moment she was grateful that he kept his eyes on her books.

"I'm sorry, professor. My uncle worked in the technology field. He spent hours a day on his computer, typing in codes, but he would never tell us the specifics of his job. Whenever my mother or I asked, he'd say some vague and hyperbolic phrase, like 'Oh, just another day of breaking into a bank vault," or 'Just resetting the passwords on the president's computer to annoy him.' Most of the time my mother and I couldn't tell if he was joking or not."

Lupin nodded, as though her new answer was agreeable with him. "And your mother, what did she do?"

Holly smiled. "She was a waitress, a cook, a retail worker, a receptionist, a temp, whatever would pay the bills at the time."

Lupin frowned. "So she had no advanced education?"

Holly shook her head. "No, she got pregnant with me when I was seventeen. My father was killed in a car crash when I was a baby. She never finished high school."

Lupin's face puckered into a sour expression, though he said nothing.

"What about your parents?"

Lupin released his hands from behind his back and examined his Rolex. "We have to leave now, or we risk losing our reservation."

Lupin turned his back on her and took a few long strides towards the door. He waited.

Holly slipped into her coat and grabbed her purse from the dining room table. She tugged her keys out of her bag and followed Lupin out onto her porch.

"You're leaving the lights on?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in question.

Holly blushed hoping the darkness outside would mask her bright red cheeks. "This isn't a good neighborhood," she said.

She locked the door and dropped her keys into her bag. "If you leave the light on, people will think someone's home. It decreases the odds of your house being broken into while you're gone."

Lupin frowned. "Why not install a security system?"

Holly blushed again. "They're expensive." She turned and walked down to her front gate, Professor Lupin following behind her. He stood so close to her, his body heat warmed her back as they walked to his car.

Without asking, she knew which car was his. The nicest, shiniest, flashiest car on the block. "I should have known you'd drive a Mercedes." She smiled and shook her head.

"Oh?" Lupin asked, amusement filling his voice. "And what does that mean, Miss Beddoes?"

"It means you're a man who enjoys the finer things in life."

Lupin pressed a hand to the small of her back as he reached around her to unlock her door. Warmth rippled from his touch, tickling places Holly tried her best to ignore. She would not give into temptation, not tonight. She could show some restraint, even as her body hummed in excitement.

Lupin opened the passenger side door for her. "You're correct, Miss. Beddoes. I do enjoy the simple luxuries life has to offer."

Holly slipped into the front seat and waited for him to close the door.

"Which is precisely why I wanted you as my date for this evening." Lupin shut her door with a sense of finality ringing in the air.

Holly bit her bottom lip as she followed his movements. He stepped around the front of the car, opened his door and slid into the seat with graceful ease.

"Ready?" he asked as he started the ignition. The engine roared to life like a lion ready to pounce. The wistful sounds of André Rieu's violin filled the car.

"Yes, sir." The name slipped from Holly's lips with surprising ease, her body humming in excitement in time with the car's heartbeat.

Lupin's lip twisted into a wicked smile.

They sped off into the night.


	8. Chapter 8

Flame-kissed steak scented the air, mingling with the sounds of smooth jazz and soft chatter. The wolf in Remus' chest salivated, raw meat sending his heart skipping a beat.

Remus found his mouth watering behind his tight lips as he opened the door to the steakhouse.

Holly tilted her head downwards as she walked through the door, that adorable blush staining her cheeks. The curves of her collarbone and the swell of her generous breasts tinted pink and suddenly Remus found himself salivating for another reason entirely.

He closed the door behind him.

Holly stepped up to the hostess' station with Remus a foot behind her.

A hostess if a flowy black blouse and a tight brunette bun glanced from her computer screen, her eyes assessing Holly before glancing up at Remus.

Her eyes widened as her stare coasted over him.

Remus fought back an eyeroll.

"I have a reservation for two. The name should be under Lupin." His curt tone left the hostess blinking like a confused deer.

Deer… Stag… James.

Lupin frowned, pushing thoughts of his friends out of his mind. He refused to allow painful memories of the past ruin his date with Holly.

The hostess blushed and blatted her eyes as she glanced down at the screen. This blush was an ugly, patchy watermelon.

"Of course. May I take your coats?" The hostess smiled as she sashayed out from the hostess station, holding her hand outs for the jackets. Holly handed her coat to the hostess, though the hostess' inviting gaze never left Lupin.

He shed his coat and handed it to her. "It's Burberry," he said. "Please be careful."

He doubted the competence of the coat check girl as much as he doubted the valet could properly attend to his car. Nonetheless, he had no other options and bit back a scowl as she carelessly tossed it over the coat check counter to the woman behind it.

"Don't worry, Mr. Lupin. We'll take very good care of your coat." Her voice purred so deeply it sounded like a drunk slur. She handed Lupin a flimsy card with the number twelve stamped on one side, her fingers brushing against his. He snatched the card and stuffed it into the pocket of his Armani trousers.

His gaze fell back on his date, her eyes lowered.

The hostess stepped back to her station and checked her screen once more. "Right this way," she instructed with another coy smile.

The hostess began to guide them into the dining room.

Lupin trailed behind Holly, her shoulders tense and her blush gone.

Lupin braced himself for impact as he placed a gentle hand over the spans of her lower back.

The dip from her lower spine to the upper curve of her ass sent a shiver of excitement racing to his cock.

He fought back a groan.

Even under the delicate, flowy fabric of her dress, he could feel the softness of her skin, the rolling of toned muscles beneath that smooth expanse of creamy flesh.

He fought the childish urge to slip his hand lower and see if he could feel an outline of her panties. He wondered if she was wearing any…

His gaze dipped back to his date.

That rosy blush was back.

He watched her eyes dart around the enormous restaurant, which had once been a bank when banks had golden glory days.

Gilded frames captured ornate pictures of old jazz portraits hung high along the walls. Flickering candlelight danced from the table, casting faint shadows beneath ornate sconces and chandeliers dripping with crystals. Thick, green velvet curtains draped across high, narrow windows. Perfect for Scarlett O'Hara.

Diners chatted and mingled, some gazes darting to Lupin and his delectable date as they wound their way to a secluded booth in the back corner.

"Your waiter will be with your shortly."

"Thank you." Without glancing at the hostess, he waited as Holly sat down in the leather booth before taking a seat across from her. Though the booth would comfortable fit four, Lupin preferred extra space.

His little dabble in magic paid off.

The dark leather booth framed Holly in a sea of ebony. She shone like a Christmas angel in the darkness, her aura glowing as she finally glanced up at him with those beautiful blue eyes.

His cock twitched under his pants as her ruby lips parted, revealing a curtain of pearly teeth.

"This place is quite extravagant." Her voice floated like the stirring of a beautiful sonata.

"This is one of my favorites restaurants in the city," Lupin said as he reached for the wine menu. He paused as he opened their selection. "Do you have a preference?"

"Dealer's choice," she smiled. "I know a bit about wine, but I'm certainly not a sommelier."

The corner of Lupin's mouth twitched into a smile as he perused the list of red wines. "Do you enjoy red wine?"

"With steak? I certainly do."

"Good evening." A chipper young voice pierced the illusion of privacy as their waiter began to fill their water glasses. "My name is Henry. I will be your server this evening. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to ask myself or one of my colleagues. May I start you off with something to drink? We have an excellent selection of wines."

"So I see," Lupin nodded as he closed the wine menu and handed it to Henry. "A bottle of the 2015 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon please, and some bread for the table."

Henry retrieved the menu with a warm smile. Either he was a talented actor or Henry was a man who truly enjoyed his job. His blonde hair bounced along the collar of his shirt as he nodded to them both and hurried away from the table.

"I can see why you enjoy coming here," Holly said with a bold and cheery grin. Her delicate fingers wrapped around the stout stem of her water goblet as she lifted it. "Half of the staff here seem to have a crush on you, professor Lupin."

Lupin blinked before letting out a bark of laughter that probably caught the notice of a few nearby diners. He ignored them and watched her eyes twinkle over the rim of her glass.

"I certainly hope you're not the jealous type, Holly." Lupin offered her his own teasing smile, suddenly self-conscious of his thin scar over his left cheek, which always seemed to deepen when he smiled.

"Oh course not, professor." Holly's blush deepened as she set her glass back on the table. "You chose me to have dinner with you, after all. If anything, I'm flattered that my date catches so much attention."

Lupin chuckled as warmth flooded his belly, hotter and with more depth than a fine single malt Scotch. "Miss Beddoes, you are an enchanting dinner companion."

Holly's blush crept down the pale column of her neck, almost disappearing behind a thin choker of brilliant rubies Lupin was certain were fake, yet she made them sparkle like Tiffany diamonds.

"Your wine sir." Henry returned with a smile that Lupin now noted was warmer than a cheery waiter's smile. Henry presented the bottle with exaggerated flourish before uncorking the expensive wine and pouring a sampling into each of their glasses.

Remus' fingers gripped the stem as he carefully swirled the cherry red liquid in crystal. He sipped, letting the sweetness and slight bitterness linger over his tongue. He nodded, setting his glass back down. Henry poured them each a full glass of wine before resting the bottle on the table.

"Are you ready to order? Would you like to hear the specials for this evening, sir?" Henry's grin flashed at Lupin.

"I'll have the prime New York strip cooked rare. She will have the petite filet, cooked medium. We'll also have an order of the potatoes au gratin, lobster mac and cheese, and green beans almandine with two house salads to start. We will decide on dessert later."

Remus handed his menu to Henry, who took it before grabbing Holly's from the edge of the table. Henry nodded to them both of them before sauntering off.

"So, did you know I like my steak medium, or was that simply a lucky guess?" Holly lifted the vermillion wine to her lips, her eyes closing as he savored the taste.

Lupin's cock revved back to life in his pants as a droplet like blood lingered on the corner of her lip. Her pink tongue darted out, capturing the drop and inviting it back into the mysterious recesses of her mouth.

"I don't believe in luck, Holly." He raised his glass. "But I do believe in fate. Cheers."

With a sweet smile, she lifted her glass to his and clinked it once.

"To fate, professor."


	9. Chapter 9

Holly let the fruity wine linger on her tongue as Remus' gaze penetrated her. Those mesmerizing gray eyes twinkled like stars threatening to break through a cloudy night sky.

 _Penetrated._

A rush of excitement heated her blood, mingling with the warm wine. Her nipples brushed against the soft fabric of her dress, pointing to attention as her thighs tingled.

She bit her lip as she rested her glass back onto the table.

Even the scrape of teeth on her reddened lips felt erotic.

A rush of sticky dampness clung to the secret folds between her legs as Lupin closed his eyes. He inhaled, his nostrils flaring across the table. For a moment, Holly wondered if he could smell her arousal. If he could almost taste her body's reaction to being so close to him.

His muscled rolled under the crisp fabric of his suit jacket as his eyes opened again.

"You seem nervous?" The dark ringing in his voice shook the air around them, adding another layer of heat to her blood.

"I'm not nervous," she said with a nervous smile.

He paused, his eyebrow raising as a smirk tugged at the corner of his lip. He waited, his gaze prickling her skin.

"I…I don't really date," she murmured. Shyness veiled over the wanton lust that coated every fiber of her body. Demureness draped over her like a sheer cloth, barely hiding the caged animal she felt inside her, wanting to break free.

"Oh? I'm surprised." Remus' eyes widened a bit in sincerity as he reached for his glass. "You're young. Intelligent. Beautiful. Witty. Sophisticated."

"Are you taking inventory?"

A bark of laughter burst from his smiling lips.

Those plush lips. Holly wondered how it would feel to have those lips wrapped around one of her sensitive nipples. Were his lips the same shade of pink as her tits?

"And funny," he added with a charming smile. "So, what are you studying? You're a graduate student, correct?"

Holly nodded, her cheeks warming under his praise and her wicked thoughts. "I'm studying English. Specifically, Shakespeare. I plan on going to a Ph.D."

"Impressive," he said. "She's beautiful, and therefore to be wooed; She is a woman, therefore to be won." He sipped his win, the sparkle in his eyes blazing into a heated spark.

"And are you trying to win me, Professor Lupin?"

The question slipped from Holly's lips without much thought. Now as it hovered in the air, she wished she could grab the words between her fingers and snatch them back into her mouth.

Luckily Henry strolled over with their salads at that moment.

"Thank you," Holly smiled up at Henry, who kept his gaze fixed on Remus.

"Of course," he said without looking at her. He strolled away, leaving them alone. They ate their salads in near silence, commenting on occasion on how ice the dressing tasted, how flavorful the croutons were, or how beautiful the music was that crooned over the well-hidden sound system.

"So, why Shakespeare? I have to admit, you struck me as more of an Austen or Brontë sort of woman."

Holly smiled as she rested her salad fork over her empty plate. "And why would you think that?"

Remus shrugged as he picked up the bottle, refilling their wine glasses. "Something about you seems hidden and secretive, yet feminine. Romantic with just a touch of darkness."

"I'm flattered," she said as she wrapped her fingers around the stem of her glass.

"And though she be but little, she is fierce."

"I'm impressed, professor Lupin," she purred. Her mind hazed over a bit as she hoped that Henry would return with their meal. She had been so excited all morning, she couldn't eat a bite and with only a meager salad and a dinner roll in her belly, the wine was beginning to coax out a side of her she hoped to conceal, at least for tonight.

Remus shrugged. "I'm British. If you can't quote Shakespeare, they revoke your citizenship."

Holy laughed, a bit louder than normal, before she took another sip of wine. "I thought they only revoked British citizenship if you couldn't quote Monty Python."

"No, Parliament changed that law about ten years ago. The Prime Minister's girlfriend couldn't finish a Monty Python quote, so they decided to change the law to keep her in the country"

Holly shook her head. "Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government."

Remus howled with laughter, his eyes crinkling as his teeth gleamed in the candlelight. "You, miss Beddoes, are an absolute delight." Remus raised his glass in a toast to her before taking another indulgent sip.

Henry returned with a colleague, each of them handling plates they set on the table. "Will you be needing anything else at the moment, sir?" Henry asked as his colleague cleared their salad plates.

Remus shook his head. "No, just some more water please." Henry nodded and left them alone.

"Please, eat," he insisted as Holly stared down at the round cut of meat on her plate.

She lifted her knife and fork, slicing through the tender beef in one fluid motion. She placed a small piece between her lips and let it dissolve over her tongue. Smoky saltiness flooded her mouth, sweeter than semen and warmer than a hard cock.

She nearly choked as those thoughts came flooding back to the front of her mind. "This is delicious."

"Best steakhouse in the city," Remus said cutting his own steak.

"Have you been to many?" she asked, scooping a small pile of potatoes onto her plate.

Remus nodded before swallowing. "I think I've tried every one within a ten-mile radius of the university."

Holly paused, a spoonful of potatoes almost to her lips. "That's… surprising for a college professor."

Remus chuckled as he watched her slide the spoon between her lips, tugging it back out. The spark in his eyes blazed to a hearty inferno. "I enjoy the finer pleasures of life, Miss Beddoes. I can afford to live comfortably."

Holly blushed, a bit embarrassed that her comment had come across so rudely.

"And speaking of pleasures," Remus' voice dipped to a rumbling growl. He leaned forward a bit more as he cut another chunk of meat. "I stumbled across a rather interesting notification when I was in custody of your phone."

Holly's blush spanned over her skin, warming her face. "Oh?" She reached for her wine and took a deep sip.

His gaze followed her hand until she rested her wine glass back onto the table.

"I didn't know you were a member of SpankR."

Holly's blood froze in an instant. Nervousness revved in her belly like a classic car engine.

Her secret was out.


	10. Chapter 10

Holly's sparkling eyes widened as those luscious red lips popped open in surprise. "I…I…" she stammered, panic rising in her voice as her shoulders slumped.

"Holly, please don't be alarmed," Remus said. "I want to discuss the app and this particular topic because I think it is crucial to understand a partner's needs. In all aspects of a relationship." He reached for the bottle of wine, nudging away his empty wine glass with his hands. He tipped the bottle into Holly's glass, emptying it completely.

Wine filled most of the cup in a gluttonous way, nearing the edge before the last drops rippled over the top. Holly reached for her full glass and took a large gulp.

"I'm so embarrassed," she admitted, resting her glass on the table as she fought to catch her breath. From the string of the alcohol or the shock of his words, Remus was unsure. He watched her bosom rise and fall with each slow breath.

His cock swelled in his trousers.

"Holly, sexuality is not a justifiable reason to be embarrassed," he said. His starchy voice shifted from romantic partner to calculating professor in an instant.

"Easy for you to say," she mumbled as her hand fell on top of her purse.

"You're not going to leave." The cool command slipped from his lips, pinning her to the spot. Her eyes fell on him as her body froze in response. "We will sit here and discuss this like rational, logical, well-educated adults. And I feel obliged to point out your hypocrisy in planning on leaving."

"Hypocrisy?" Holly's mouth fell open.

Remus nodded. "Yes. I mention an app on your phone and you become so flustered and allegedly embarrassed that you feel the need to flee. If you left me in the middle of our dinner, you would only serve to embarrass me, and it wouldn't alter my knowledge of you, or the app, in any way. I still offered you a dinner invitation knowing about this app, knowing somewhat about your preferences, and you planned to bolt without so much as a simple explanation."

"I don't owe you an explanation professor," Holly snapped. "Or my companionship."

"I'm honored by your companionship, Holly. Though I am confused by what I've found and would appreciate an explanation."

"Why would you ask me to dinner if you know about the app?"

Remus frowned at the slight diversion, but put a pin in his former comment and countered her question with another question. "Does it bother you that I know about the app?"

"Of course," Holly answered. "That's private."

"No part of technology today is private, Holly. We both know that."

"You know what I mean," she huffed. "You snooped through my phone."

Remus shook his head. "On the contrary, the app buzzed loud and clear on your phone, Holly. No snooping was required. Your phone volunteered that bit of information at what I believe was a rather opportune moment."

Holly's brows furrowed and she growled like an angry kitten. Her anger seemed oddly adorable to Remus, but he knew even kitten could scratch deep. "I don't appreciate being made into a joke, professor."

"Holly, you are certainly not a joke to me," he said. "And I don't find your sexuality humorous in the slightest. If you could humor me and give me a moment to explain where I am coming from, perhaps that will clear the air, so to speak. Agreed?"

Holly paused, her hand still clutching her purse. She nodded, releasing her bag and setting her hand on her lap as she reached for her wine glass again. "Agreed. Go on."

"I'm a professor of psychology and human behaviors, specifically human sexuality. It's my area of expertise, in many forms. Because I have been entrenched in this area for so long, I have noticed patterns in people. Many people suppress their kinks and desires. There is an innate fear of rejection and isolation."

Holly's eyes widened, and Remus paused, waiting for his Christmas angel to vanish like the clock had struck December 26th. Instead, her posture relaxed and he continued.

"Society rejects the weird, the freaky, the kinky, and because of this stigma, many people are afraid to experiment and ask for something deemed sexually perverse. Many people won't ask their partner for what they crave, and this leads to a very bitter resentment of their partner and oftentimes either a life full of dull sex or a painful divorce. Not that sex is the sole reason for many divorces, but it almost always a contributing factor. I believe partners need full honesty with one another in term of sexuality and sexual preference."

There was a long pause as his words hummed in the air like a plucked guitar string.

"And have you and your partners always been honest?" she asked. A spark glinted in her eyes and for a moment, Remus wished he could read her mind.

"No," he said. "In fact, I'm divorced for just this reason."

Holly's doey eyes blinked in wide-eyed surprise.

Remus braced himself to see if she would reach for her purse again.

She did not.

"What happened?" she asked.

Remus frowned. "I believe that is an answer that should wait, Holly. Though I will say that it was mutual, and that I have not seen her since we finalized the divorce papers well over a year ago. She moved back to London immediately following the divorce."

Holly nodded, accepting his vague explanation.

"Do you believe in complete honesty, Holly?" Remus asked.

She raised her glass to her lips, letting the question linger like a threatening rain before answering. "I believe in honesty, Professor Lupin, but I don't see a necessity for full disclosure on a first date."

Remus' lip quirked. "Touché, Miss Beddoes."

"And if we're being honest," she continued, "I feel it's necessary to clarify something. Just because you know about the app doesn't mean I'm going to sleep with you. I never sleep with a man on a first date." She paused as she studied his expression.

He tried not to give anything away.

"Other women can do whatever they want on a first date, but I have rules for myself. No sex on a first date is one of them."

Remus nodded, weighing the words on his tongue before speaking. "That's a perfectly reasonable rule. And one I respect. Thank you for being honest. And allow me to clear the air a bit more."

Remus rested his arms on the table, leaning forward. He stared at her with knowing intensity, hoping to pin her to the spot. Her cheeks flushed a brighter rose pink, trickling down to the swell of her breasts over that tease of a dress.

"I never expect or demand sex. Just because I know about the app does not mean I believe you're loose or fast or cheap. In fact, you're a respectable, intelligent, sophisticated woman and you deserve to be treated as such. You challenge me to be a perfect gentleman, Miss Beddoes."

Holly's lips gaped and for an instant Remus pictured his stiffening cock sliding between those plush red lips.

So much for thinking like a gentleman.

"I have a terrible sweet-tooth," he said with a lightness that took the weight off their conversation. "I'm a self-proclaimed chocoholic. Would you agree to spending more time in my company and having dessert and coffee?"


	11. Chapter 11

Holly's body vibrated as Remus' car rushed through an intersection towards her house. The air in the car pulsed with an energy that left an aching need stretching in her core. Suddenly she regretted going commando, worried her sticky lube between her legs would stain his leather seats.

The song on Remus' playlist shifted to a celestial duet from Celine Dion and Josh Groban.

Despite the religious words, Holly's need only increased as her gaze shifted to Remus. His hands gripped the steering wheel tighter, reining in his animal of a machine. He turned the car down a small road with ease.

"Is something on your mind, Holly?" His deep voice sent a shiver racing down her spine, pooling in her lower belly. Was his voice that sensual in bed?

Holly forced her gaze to the radio for a moment, trying to calm her racing libido. She shifted, making sure her dress covered her so none of her excitement dampened his seats. "This is an interesting choice of music."

Remus frowned. "I hate the word interesting, Miss Beddoes."

Holly pursed her lips, wondering why he shifted between Holly and Miss Beddoes as though he was deciding between which he preferred. "Why?"

"Interesting is vague. Vagueness serves no purpose other than to confuse or manipulate. Purposefully confusing a person or manipulating them is a spiteful, loathsome act. Interesting is as substantial as the word stuff, or, thing, or it. Precision is crucial. And if you plan on getting your Ph.D., in English literature no less, that's a necessary lesson for you to learn."

Holly rolled her eyes, his condescension dampening her libido enough for her to control her tongue. "Thanks for the free lecture, professor."

His lip tilted upward before he could hide his smile. "You're welcome, Miss Beddoes."

"This is a surprising choice of music."

Remus paused. "Still a weak word, and possibly not the one you intended, but it's better than interesting."

"Well, after three glasses of wine, it was the best word I could think of."

"You also should never end a sentence with a preposition," he said.

Holly glared at him before his lip tilted upward. "You… Professor, you're making fun of me!"

Remus let out a bark of a laugh that sliced through the air. "No, Holly. You are not someone to make fun of, though I must admit you are certainly fun to annoy." As the car pulled to a red light, he turned to face her.

His silver eyes danced with a fire that kick started her libido all over again. Emptiness throbbed between Holly's legs.

"I enjoy teasing you." His words caressed her like velvet. His dark sensual promise tickled her flesh, sending goosebumps rising on her skin. As the light turned green, he returned his attention to the road.

His large hand reached across the car, resting above her knee, below the soft fabric of her skirt.

Holly's body froze. She wanted him. Every muscle, nerve, and bone in her body begged her to do it. Spread her thighs and send him the message. His hand, his everything, was more than welcome between her warm thighs.

She clenched her right hand, the hand he could not see, and dug her fingers in her palm, forcing her gaze out at the road.

She would not do it. She would not give into temptation. She would not fuck professor Lupin.

Remus released her leg, gripping the wheel as he turned onto her street.

The car, the professor, all of it felt so out of place in her crumbling neighborhood. Old, rusted, and broken down cars littered her street. Remus parked between a Suburu with a flat tire and a 1995 Pontiac.

"I had a very enjoyable evening, Holly," Remus said as he killed the car's engine.

"I did too," she said. "Thank you for dinner, Remus." She unclenched her hand, hoping she hadn't drawn blood.

Remus frowned, his nostrils flaring for a moment. He paused before reaching for his door handle. He opened his door and unfolded from the low seats before walking around to open her door.

Holly eased herself from the passenger seat, careful not to step on uneven concrete in her tall heels.

Remus offered her his hand, but she rose from the car, pretending she his offer had gone unseen. Touching him, taking his hand in such a chivalrous gesture, would only fuel the raging hunger between her legs. Dampness clung to her inner thighs with each step towards her house. The cool summer air tickled the smooth skin between her legs, the wind trying to pry her legs apart.

She opened the gate to her small garden in front of her house, the pitiful patch of land overgrown and scattered with trash from the neighbors. The squeaky latch clicked closed and she could feel Remus' tall body striding behind her. Energy puled from him. Even if she could not see him, she could feel his presence.

Walking up the two steps to her front porch, she turned, digging her keys from her purse. "Thank you again for dinner." The calmness in her voice surprised her. With Remus standing a foot away from her, every cell in her body was a shaky, nervous mess.

"Thank you again for your company." His deep growl sent shivers under her skin. He bent lower.

Time froze. Holly's muscles tensed as hot excitement gushed in her veins like magma under a volcano's surface. Hot, raw, ready to burn her alive.

Professor Remus Lupin placed a gentle kiss on her right cheek.

Warm blossomed from his touch. Her muscles relaxed as her tipple tightened under the flimsy fabric of her dress. A fresh wave of need oozed from between her legs.

His smell overwhelmed her. The smell of a forest after a thunderstorm. A smoldering campfire. Chocolate. And something distinctly male and him that had no name.

"Remus." Her lips parted, quietly saying his name before his lips pulled away. She tasted his name in her mouth like fine wine. Smoky like expensive scotch. Buttery life toffee. Sweet like milk chocolate melting on her tongue.

The crisp autumn air dampened her skin where his lips had been. His warm breath tickled her ear as he pulled away with a faint smile.

"Good night, Holly."

"Good night." Forcing her hand to remain steady, she unlocked her door, slipped inside the safety of her house, and locked the door behind her.

Holly's mind whirled, her body aching with need, pulsing in time with her heartbeat. She needed release. She needed sex. She needed to fuck.

She kicked her heels off, scattering them across her living room floor as she hunted through her phone.

She had about two dozen numbers from men—friends, ex-boyfriends, old lovers, men she'd met in bars and concerts.

She found the one number she needed, and dialed.

As the line clicked, before the other caller could even say hello, Holly's breath left her body in a heated rush.

"Come over, now. Before I do something I regret. Please."


	12. Chapter 12

City lights spread through Remus' penthouse view overlooking Philadelphia. Miles and miles of buildings stretched before him in a sea of concrete and mischief and possibility. Possibilities Remus had long forgotten to consider. Possibilities of romance and sex and lust.

Oh, lust was a possibility never far from his mind, always humming like white noise. But his cock strained against his slacks with each step through his living room. His lazy lust has sparked into a volcanic inferno tonight.

Holly, his little dove, had become his body's muse, inspiring a hunger in his blood he had long ago forgotten.

Remus draped his coat over an arm chair as he walked towards the master bedroom. His shoes shuffled over the silvery gray carpet. His fingers made quick work of his tie, tugging at the knot until it loosened in his hands. The expensive fabric slipped between his fingers, and for a moment, he wondered what Holly would think of being tied up with this exact tie.

His cock twitched as an unexpected drop of precum oozed and dampened his boxer shorts.

The wolf in Remus' chest growled, frustrated and horny. He smelled her arousal all night, like a toxic perfume threatening to poison his control. He'd imagined leaping across that dinner table and claiming her as his, fucking her in the middle of a crowded, fancy restaurant.

He fought for control all night, trying to tame not only his inner wolf, but his inner man. A man with needs, raw and hungry, and a lust more powerful than the wolf's desire for a fresh kill.

His little dove would never be hurt in his wolf's teeth. Holly would be safe and satisfied if—when—she chose to give herself to him.

Remus popped open the buttons of his crisp linen shirt one by one, starting at his neck. He wondered why Holly made a point of addressing sex on a first date. He admired her for her rule—it was a noble one, a rule he could understand and respect. Not sleeping with one another on a first date was wise.

But Remus wondered why she seemed so brazen, when before she had been like a timid little kitten, ready to scratch him if he got too close.

His Christmas angel was an enigma, a puzzle his body was all too eager to explore and solve. He slipped his cufflinks free of their holes, placing them on his bedside table before stripping out of his suit jacket and shirt, tossing them into a laundry basket. His housekeeper would see that they would be dry cleaned.

He popped open the button on his trousers, easing down the zipper before dropping them low on his hips. The swollen head of his cock strained against the soft fabric of his boxers, trying to break free of its confinement. A small, wet circle was slowly spreading over the cotton.

In a moment, he yanked down his trousers and boxers, kicking off his shoes and peeling his socks from his feet before stepping out of his pants.

He strode across the room, naked and hard as a rock. His cock bobbed between his legs, straining for release. Somehow. Someway.

Remus' imagination played cruel tricks in his head. A slide show of images of Holly played like a reel. Holly on her knees with that red lipstick smudged in a messy ring around his cock. Holly on her back, spreading her legs for him, her pussy the same rosy shade as her cheeks. Holly lying spread eagle, each wrist and ankle tied with secured rope, leaving her curvy body open to him, giving him everything.

His cock twitched again, precum oozing in a thick glob before a droplet dripped onto the cream-colored rug.

A growl slipped from his tight lips and he wondered if that was his inner wolf or man. He needed to cum. He needed to fuck.

SpankR.

The thought pricked in the back of his mind. He had several contacts in there. He was certain one of his friends was free tonight. Some of the women he met would probably cancel their own weddings if he called and said he wanted an hour alone with them tonight—just for the chance to spend more time in his bed.

The thought sickened him.

Holly flashed through his mind again and he began pacing the floor. Holly was off limits, at least for tonight. And after one incredible—albeit sexless—evening with his little dove, the thought of touching another woman sent his stomach rolling. A sour taste coated his tongue.

No, his body ached for one woman. No other could taint his desires.

With a frustrated groan, Remus stalked off to the master bathroom. His bare feet chilled over the cool black and white tile like a large wizard chess board. He fidgeted with a few knobs for his walk-in shower, large enough to comfortably hold four people—he knew, he tested that theory before.

As the water shot from half a dozen nozzles on the top and sides of the shower, Remus stepped into the warm rush. Water and steam wet his body, droplets trickling down his skin, heating his blood hotter. His cock strained under the warm water, still begging for attention and release.

Remus sat on a small stool at the end of the shower, a nozzle of water spraying hot water on his shoulders and back, keeping him warm and heating the tile beneath his bare ass. He took a bottle of organic cinnamon scented conditioner and poured a generous glob into the middle of his right palm, setting the bottle beside him.

Remus closed his eyes and indulged in his decadent, dirty imagination.

His hand wrapped around his shaft, the greasy conditioner slicking along his cock. His fist squeezed around him, imagining it was a tight pussy.

Holly's tight pussy.

Remus rested his head along the tile and imagined glancing up to see Holy's firm, perky, youthful breasts bouncing inches from his lips.

His hand slid over his shaft, in time with Holly's rhythm, hard and fast and fierce.

He squeezed, imaging her pussy clenching down on him, milking him for his cum.

He could imagine her sexy purr, echoing around the shower. "Professor." That sexy little gasp of hers. Her voice low and soft, whispering his name like a spell. "Remus."

A groan slipped from Remus' lips, trapped in the steam encircling him.

His imagination teased him. He could almost see droplets of waters tracing the curves of her body, trickling along those delicate shoulders, over the soft swell of her breasts, small rivers of water dripping from the tight buds of her nipples before splashing onto his chest.

He pumped his cock faster, imagining her body picking up a wicked tempo as she sought her release, using his thick, long cock to bring herself pleasure. He would stay hard for her. He would… He would…

Breasts bouncing. Water dripping. Her tight little cunt squeezing his monstrous cock, her lips wrapped around him, the same pink as her blush. That sexy blush that stained the swell of her breasts.

His balls tightened closer to his body, stiffening as that prickling excitement tightened at the base of his spine.

"Holly!" Remus shouted her name into the empty air as his semen shot from the tip of his cock. He let his imagination linger for a moment more cum, emptying inside her wet, welcoming body. Her shouts of ecstasy echoing around him as his orgasm encouraged her own.

"Remus!"

With regret, he opened his eyes and stared across the empty shower. The salty slick of his cum began to melt away on the floor, mixing with the water, swirling down the drain.

What a waste.

Remus released his cock, still stiff but beginning to soften in the hot air.

One day, he vowed, he would take his little dove into this very shower, and have her straddle his hips, and watch her come apart over him as she brought herself to release. But for now, he would have to be sated with his hand, a bottle of conditioner, and his wild, wonderful imagination.

And his body's new muse… Holly.


	13. Chapter 13

Nikki strolled through Holly's living room carrying a bag of Ben and Jerry's Americone Dream ice cream, two bottles of Coca-Cola, and a family sized bag of Herr's sour cream and onion potato chips.

Holly glanced between the junk food selections and was unsure if she would laugh or cry as relief flooded her. "Thanks for coming." She smiled up at her best friend as Nikki set the bag onto the coffee table and sat beside her.

"Of course." Nikki kicked off her shoes and tucked her feet underneath her. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I'm going through withdrawal," Holly sighed. Her muscles felt tight against her bones, her skin prickling with too much heat and too much cold and everything felt uncomfortable. Like she caught the flu without the runny nose and sore throat part.

Nikki frowned. Not a disappointed frown, or an annoyed frown. A frustrated frown. Without speaking a word, she grabbed Holly's hand and pulled them both off the couch.

"What are you—"

"You need to reset your clock for the night," Nikki said. "A change of clothes will help. Comfy clothes. Pajamas. And I need a set of PJs too since I'm going to be staying the night."

Holly gaped at Nikki as they walked up the steps, Nikki tugging Holly down the small hallway to Holly's bedroom.

"And no arguing," Nikki said. "Consider yourself officially cock blocked for the evening, courtesy of moi."

Holly's limbs shook as they stopped walking, standing against the wall of her small bedroom. Without asking permission, Nikki rummaged through Holly's drawers like a Niffler sniffing out treasure, pulling out a faded pair of candy cane pajama pants and an oversized navy blue t-shirt with the quote "I would challenge you to a battle of wits, but I see you are unarmed" scrolled across the front in peeling white letters.

Holly pulled open another drawer and yanked out a clean pair of boring, cotton panties.

"You went commando on your first date?" Nikki asked, her eyebrow raising so high it rose over the frame of her hipster glasses.

Holly shrugged. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."

Nikki shook her head, frowning again, though this time, holly was unsure if there was disappointment in her expression. She yanked another oversized t-shirt, one with a bat on the front that said "bite me" and black leggings. "I"ll get changed in the bathroom and meet you downstairs. Where's your phone?"

"It's on my coffee table," Holly answered, picking up the faded shirt in her hands.

Nikki nodded. "Good. I'm shutting it off tonight. We're having a girls' night. Pizza sound good to you?"

Holly nodded. "I'm not that hungry, but I could go for a slice."

"Pineapple and ham?"

Holly winced. "Ew, what is wrong with you?"

Nikki flashed her a smile. "One of these days, I'm going to get you to try it."

"But it is not this day," Holly responded in her best Aragorn impression.

Nikki rolled her eyes, the mood lightening a bit. "Nerd."

"That's why you love me," Holly said.

"Too true." Nikki shut the door behind her and Holly heard her close the bathroom door a moment later. She changed and returned to the living room, where Nikki was already ordering a late night snack on her phone.

"Sit," Nikki said, patting the spot on the couch beside her. "I want to hear about your date with my human sexuality professor."

Holly plopped on the couch beside Nikki and shot her a pointed look.

Nikki rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, that was funny. The irony is too much to pass up, especially for a word nerd like you."

A smile pricked at the corner of Holly's lip like a bee-sting. "The date was… wonderful." She shifted her weight on the couch, resting her shoulder against the back of the chair as she tucked her legs in front of her. "Remus was a gentleman. The restaurant was divine. The evening was perfect."

Nikki paused, waiting for more. "But…"

Air slipped between Holly's lips. "But I wanted him so bad. I don't sleep with men on the first date."

"Right," Nikki nodded. "Does he know the chances of it happening on the second date are nonexistent too?"

Holly shook her head. "It would have been cruel to dump everything onto his lap at once."

Nikki's hand reached for hers. The tips of her long fingers scraped against Holly's palm before she squeezed her hand. The small bit of human contact comforted Holly enough to soothe her frazzled nerves.

"I think you need to take your mind off him for a bit," she suggested.

Holly squeezed her eyes shut. Her body hummed, remembering his lips pressed to her cheek, the heat that flooded her, the smoky scent of him.

"Yeah, you need a distraction alright." Nikki's hand pulled from Holly's as her eyes fluttered open. Nikki reached for the remote. "I saw we watch whatever's on the cooking channel and eat greasy takeout pizza and stuff our faces with so many carbs we'll have to roll each other to the gym tomorrow morning."

"Sounds perfect," Holly said. Her ankle twisted uncomfortably on the couch as she rearranged herself to face the television.

As the show switched to a commercial, the doorbell rang and a rotund kid with a small baseball cap appeared holding a pizza that smelled like heaven. Nikki tipped him and flicked the lock on Holly's door, locking out the world for the rest of the night.

"Eat up," Nikki said as she lifted the lid.

Ooey, gooey, cheesy perfection teased Holly's nose. Her stomach grumbled, somehow empty not long after her wonderful meal with…

She stopped herself and focused on the perfect pizza, not the perfect man she'd almost kissed an hour ago.

She slid a slice onto a flimsy paper plate and bit into the tip of the pizza, focusing on the show, her best friend, and trying her best to stop herself from thinking about her perfect date.

A small whirring sound echoed under the television. Nikki peeked over the coffee table and laughed. Schrody's asleep on the cable box."

"And snoring," Holly chuckled. She loved her cat. She loved dogs too, but her yard was almost nonexistent, a pathetic patch of weed-covered dirt in front of her house, fenced in by a rusted gate. Worse, she was at school for almost eight hours straight every day, with no time to give a dog the attention it needed.

Schrody preferred to be alone, except when his food bowl was empty. Then he transformed into a fuzzy ball of affection.

"So, are you going to see him again?" Nikki asked as the show ended.

Longing tugged at Holly's belly. "I don't know. Maybe if he asks, but I don't chase men."

Nikki eased back on the couch, lying down and resting her feet in Holly's lap, one sock-covered foot crossing the other. "If it went as well as you said, I'm sure he'll call you the minute the twenty-four-hour rule expires."

Holly laughed. "Who thought of the twenty-four-hour rule anyway? Waiting twenty-four hours after a date to contact someone seems a bit ridiculous."

Nikki shrugged. "I don't know, but it sounds very Victorian. Adhering to old-fashioned social standards and such. Besides, he's British."

"Meaning what?" Holly asked.

"Meaning he's used to living in a society with strict social norms, and he is a very Type-A sort of person. I don't think he's going to break those social expectations, more for himself than for you."

"You haven't gotten your psych degree just yet," Holly teased. "When you're Doctor Nikki, then you can psychoanalyze my dates until your heart's content."

"Oh, I will," Nikki beamed a smile at her. "Don't you worry."

Their laughter mixed in the air as the knot in Holly's belly eased. She would force herself not to think of Dr. Remus Lupin until she heard from him. And if he never called her back, then that was his loss.


	14. Chapter 14

****I know it's been several weeks since I posted and I am so sorry about that. There is an explanation at the end that I ask you to read. Thank you! 3**

Remus opened his binder to the handwritten notes he scribbled down as an outline for today's lecture. Social Taboos, one of his favorite discussions. Oftentimes the students riled up and gave some very insightful and intimate additions to his lecture.

He wondered what secrets would slip out of his students' mouths today.

Several students chattered on in the top row of the small lecture hall, large enough to hold maybe fifty students. Hardly an amphitheater of academia, but Remus preferred close-knit graduate classes over his psychology 101 lectures to young undergraduate students, which usually contained no less than one hundred and fifty students.

This class had a roster of thirty-two. Today, he accounted for twenty-five sitting in front of him.

He checked his Rolex, and frowned. He still had two more minutes before his class began.

He drummed his manicured nails along the edge of the podium and watched the door like a hawk. Early was on time. On time was late. Late was unacceptable.

James used to tease him relentlessly about his need to be on time for every class. Sirius too, though it baffled Remus when they were students how Sirius could saunter into class, even halfway through a lecture, and still be one of the top students in this year.

Remus shook his head and forced his mind back to taboos. Sexual taboos.

His cock witched in his pants and he frowned. He was no schoolboy. He could control himself. He was a professional.

As the second hand reached five seconds before the stroke of ten, Nikki McGuire bounced into his lecture, her bright crimson hair bobbing up and down like a horse's tail.

"Thank you for joining us, Miss McGuire." The sour disapproval dampened the air in the room, some of the students shifting their gazes not so subtly at Nikki to gauge her reaction.

"I'd never miss one of your lectures, Professor Lupin." He gracelessly plopped herself into her seat and shot him a falsely cheery smile, one so large her eyes crinkled in the corners to make room for her Cheshire Cat grin.

He frowned, wondering how Holly could be friends with such an annoying little pixie.

Holly.

His cock twitched again, thickening beneath his trousers. He decided to stand behind his podium until his libido decided to calm down. Even after stroking himself to orgasm twice today imagining his little Christmas angel spread out before him.

He bit the tip of his tongue as his cock only hardened further. He opened his mouth and began asking students for their inputs of taboos, what makes something taboo compared to something otherwise deemed "normal."

Students gave a hodgepodge of answers, some well constructed, others leaving Lupin to wonder how they managed to graduate high school, let alone be accepted into a world class graduate program.

"So, given the scope of our discussion so far," he said, resting his elbows on the podium. His knees stiffened and he longed to love around the room, but his cock kept his pants well tented. "What are some sexual preferences that our society might consider taboo?"

One student shot her hand up. "Incest," she answered as Lupin nodded.

"Certainly. Any others?"

"Step-sibling romances," called out a scrawny blonde boy in the back row.

"Body part fetishes," shouted a large African American male in the front row.

Lupin nodded. "All good. Any others?"

Nikki shot her hand up in the air. Without waiting for him to nod to her, she called out. "Student-teacher relationships."

The air fell deadly silent as Lupin's gaze narrowed in on Nikki, his stare piercing her.

She challenged him, his own stare heating his blood. How dare she, in any way, mention Holly in his classroom.

"That's not really taboo," called out a brunette woman seated a row in front of Nikki. "Unless there's an age issue, like someone is under age, it's almost normal I'd think." The brunette, Ginny, turned back around in her seat and shot a reassuring smile at professor Lupin, wordlessly letting him know she would support him.

"What do you think, professor?" Nikki asked, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair. Her Cheshire Cat grin morphed into a cat-ate-the-canary smile.

"I think you might need a more specific definition," Lupin poked. "If the student is not working under the teacher, is not in their class, or not being held under the teacher's authority in anyway, then I would suggest that no, that is not a taboo." Professor Lupin cleared his throat and relaxed his white-knuckled grip on the podium.

He hadn't realized his body language had become so tense.

"Any other?"

"What about age gap romances?" Nikki said as she shot her hand back up in the air. "May-December romances I've heard them called." She leaned forward now, her eyes sparking with a caged rage. "I mean, six years is a pretty large gap, don't you think?"

A blonde woman in the front let out an obnoxious laugh. "Six years? That's nothing. My husband is thirteen years older than I am."

"I was asking Professor Lupin," Nikki snapped, not taking her eyes off Remus.

Remus glared at her. "I hardly qualify a six-year age difference as something worth calling taboo, Miss McGuire. However, romance with a significant age gap, I believe the normal is considered ten or more years, would be considered by most standards taboo. Does that answer your question?"

Nikki's arms fell to her side, clutching he edge of her desk. "Yes, thank you for the clarification, Professor." She spat each word like a venomous dart, trying to rile him.

"Any others?"

"BDSM." Nikki huffed, loud enough to draw the attention of every student to her.

"Yes, BDSM is considered taboo. Mr. Levin, I believe you had your hand raised?"

"Going back to the student-teacher relationship," Levin piped up, "is there something that would make it taboo apart from age?"

Remus' muscles stiffened as he fought back a wince. "Well, if the student is in the teacher's class, that would fall under the category since he has power over her."

"You mean authority?" the brunette woman cooed as she rested her head on her hand, her bosom squeezed together under her blouse.

"Yes," Professor Lupin nodded. "Any other taboos?"

Remus' muscles slowly relaxed as Nikki tightened her lips, allowing other students to add their seemingly innocent opinions and secret preferences to the list.

"We'll pick this discussion up next week," Remus said as he slammed his binder shut over the podium.

His hard cock taunted him, keeping him in place as the students packed up and shuffled out of the room.

Nikki and Ginny were the last to leave, Ginny lingering behind until she noticed Nikki still there. With slumped shoulders, she scurried out of the room in her short skirt.

Remus fought back an eye roll. She probably kept her legs spread through the entire lesson, oblivious to the fact that the desks had partitions in the front to block out any disruptive views.

He wasn't interested in the view she was offering.

"Great lecture, Professor," Nikki smirked as she sauntered out of the room, shutting the door firmly behind her.

Remus stepped back, ignoring his erection and grabbing his phone from his coat pocket. His fingers flew across the screen, searching for Holly's number.

 _Are you available for coffee this afternoon?_

He pressed send and placed his phone back into the pocket. He slipped his binder into his briefcase before grabbing his coat. He shoved his hands through the sleeves, the small vibration in his pocket bringing a faint smile to his face.

As he pulled his phone back out, the wolf inside him howled with delight.

 _Yes._

 **** Thank you all for reading! So One good and one bad thing has happened to me in the last month. My first novel is being released on May 22 and I've got the links below! Sadly though, I am also going through a divorce, which sucked most of my energy these last few weeks. I'm sorry for the delay in posting, but seeing you all read my stories has been so helpful and uplifting. Thank you all so much 3**

Kindle: /3ffhWT

Nook: /KzPsPU

iBooks: /mMPMFU

Kobo: /zQgoAc


	15. Chapter 15

_Yes._

"What are you smiling about?" Monica's soft spoken voice floated over their small cafeteria table tucked into the corner of the dining hall.

Holly dropped her phone back into her purse before turning her attention back to her friend and co-worker. "Nothing, just a text."

"From…?"

Monica's question hung in the air as Holly took a sip of her Diet Coke. "From a man I'm sort of seeing. I think. We just went on one date, but it was a good date."

Monica laughed, her mess of black curls bouncing on her shoulders. "Good? Must have been a great date for you to be smiling like that."

"Smiling like what?" Holly asked. "Am I really smiling that much?"

Monica nodded. "Ever since your phone chirped you've got a Joker smile slapped across your face. So, who is he? Where'd you meet him? Give me the details."

Monica stabbed at her salad, staring up at Holly in anticipation.

"It's a weird situation," Holly said with a casual wave of her hand, hoping the conversation would magically change.

But Monica and men was like a dog with a bone. She's dig up as much dirt as she could until she was satisfied. "Weird is fun," Monica said. "So, who is the mystery texter?" She paused, then gaped, a small chunk of lettuce trapped in her bottom teeth. "Oh, or is he a mystery sexter?"

"Shh!" Holly shushed. "Keep your voice down." Her gaze roamed over the nearby tables. If anyone had heard Monica's outburst, they were polite enough to ignore it, or their reflexes were quick enough to turn back around before Holly noticed them.

As the word sex still lingered in the air like an unanswered question, Holly's thigh squeezed together. Remus. Sexting. The man certainly had a way with words…

"Come on," Monica groaned. "Tell me. Please. I haven't had a date in three months. Let me live vicariously through you."

"Is the doctoral biology program really that intense?" Holly asked before popping a piece of popcorn chicken into her mouth.

Monica sighed, shifting pieces of tomato around her plate. "Yes, but don't even thin about distracting me on this one. I want to hear about your date."

Monica. Dog. Bone.

Bone. Boner. Remus. Boning Remus.

Holly winced. "He's Nikki's professor," she blurted. A small voice in the back of her mind screamed at for volunteering that bit of information.

Monica gaped like a goldfish as her eyes widened. "You're dating a professor!"

"He's not my professor," Holly added. "And please, keep your voice down."

Monica blinked. "Sorry, but this is amazing. When was your date? How did you meet him? Did Nikki set it up as a sort of blind date? Oh God, does Nikki know?!"

"Yes," Holly jumped in before Monica's twenty-questions game continued. "Nikki knows. She seems alright with our relationship, though I don't know if it can be called that after only one date. Friendship maybe."

"So this 'friendship,' how did it start?" Monica eased back in her tin plastic chair as Holly recanted the short version of how she and Remus met. From the phone falling in the sidewalk, to meeting him at the bar, to him finding her cellphone and returning it, and finally dinner and that almost-kiss goodnight.

"Wow," Monica blinked, fifteen minutes later when Holly had laid out the PG-13 version of her "friendship" with Remus.

"Are you alright with where this is going?" she asked. "You haven't dated anyone in almost a year."

Holly nodded. "I think so. I mean, I know I'm going to have to tell him if this progresses, but something about him is different. I think he would understand. He's a human sexuality professor. Who better to understand than him?"

"True," Monica said while Holly sipped her soda. "but understanding it and accepting it are two different things."

Holly paused, her mind trying to digest that last bit of information. Would Remus understand? Would he be alright with her…issues?

"He seems to have control over himself," Holly said. "He's passionate, yes, but he's not a slave to his passions. He was polite, a gentleman. I think, if I'm going to try to pursue a relationship—a real relationship—he's someone who would respect my limits."

Monica nodded. "Have you discussed any of your limits?"

"No," Holly admitted. "He knows about my account on SpankR. I don't think he's seen me on there, but there's nothing very detailed on that app anyway. All he would know is that I'm a submissive and that I only play around with men. That's not incredibly specific."

"Is he a Dominant?" Monica asked, resting her arms on the table as she leaned forward.

Holly opened her mouth, but no words came out. She closed her lips, thinking before speaking. "He never said." Holly rested her back on the stiff plastic chair. "He knows I'm a submissive. I don't think he would have asked me on a date if he didn't think there was some probably level of compatibility, but he never told me any of his preferences."

Holly sighed. "Anyway, I'm meeting him for coffee this afternoon. We'll see what happens then."

Monica's face broke out into a smile. "A coffee date already? He must really like you to want to see you again so soon."

Holly shrugged. "Maybe." She raised her soda to her lips and found herself grinning like a fool. "I feel so stupid," she laughed.

"Aw, I think it's sweet," Monica said. She reached across the table, patting Holly's arm. "Go enjoy your coffee date. Who knows? Maybe your dark and mysterious professor will give you some more insight into his preferences."

"Do most people worry this much about sexual preferences before a second date?" Holly asked.

Monica shrugged. "Who knows? Better to know right out of the gate if you two are compatible before taking a huge leap of faith and start dating him."

"True," Holly sighed.

"And no matter what," Monica said, her tone dipping into a more serious nature. "I'm here if you ever need to talk. If you need an out. If you need anything, I'm a phone call away."

Holly smiled at one of her closest friends. "Thank you," she said, suddenly thankful for having the best friends in the world.


	16. Chapter 16

Hey all! Check my special little message at the bottom. I've got a little surprise for you ;)

The sole light bulb overhead cast a beam of light directly on the middle of the worn wooden table. The rest of the corner was cast in shadow and Remus wondered if Holly would be able to see him in this abysmal lighting.

He frowned, lifting his cappuccino to his lips, glancing at the full coffee cup across from him.

He hoped she would get here before her coffee went cold.

He glanced down at his Rolex. She had one more minute before their scheduled meeting time, and he tried in vain to ignore the wolf inside him, pacing around his belly as anticipation began to bubble in his chest.

The door open, casting a flash of light across the back wall as the autumn sunlight caught on the glass. Holly stepped through the door like an angel shot down from heaven itself.

She scanned the front of the shop, glancing towards the back before her gaze landed on him. Even across the crowded—and annoyingly dark—coffee shop, the twinkle in her sapphire blue eyes left Remus's heart sputtering in his chest.

He fought back the smile fighting its way from his cheeks. He rose as she came towards him, waiting for her to sit down across from him before resuming his seat. "Thank you for meeting me," he said.

She beamed a smile at him and it was more rewarding than winning any lottery. "Of course," she said. "You got me coffee already?"

Remus nodded. "Just regular coffee, with cream and sugar."

"You remembered," she said as she reached for the cup. This brought a smile to her face, and the wolf inside Remus wanted to howl in triumph for making her smile.

"I'm a very observant man, Holly." He watched her raise the cup to her lips, a small ring of red circling around the rim as her lipstick smeared.

His cock stiffened in his trousers, rising like a caged animal fighting to be set free from its prison.

"I've noticed," she said.

"Have you?" His eyebrow rose in amusement as he leaned back a bit in his chair.

She shrugged. "I might have a Ph.D. in psychology, professor, but I do have eyes."

"Beautiful eyes," he added. Her cheeks flushed pink as she took another sip of her coffee. "Holly, I know you're keeping something from me. Something important."

She froze, her gaze landing on his, like a mouse hypnotized by a serpent.

"Holly, are you single? You're not seeing anyone else?" Remus asked, a knot in his stomach tightening as he waited for her to respond.

She shook her head, locks of wavy gold hair tossing around her shoulders. "No, I'm not seeing anyone else. I'm single."

"Are you divorced?" he asked.

Again, she shook her head. "No, Remus. I've never been married."

Remus frowned. "Are you uncomfortable dating a professor? You're not my student, and I know you understand that there is no ethical conflict to our relationship, but understanding and accepting are often vastly different."

The corner of Holly's lip tugged up in a smile as she raised the cup to her lips, taking another sip. The pause lingered as he waited for her to finish. "I have no concerns about dating a professor, Remus. At least, not one of my professors."

"I'm afraid I'm out of guesses then," he concluded. "What are you hiding from me, Holly?"

His brow furrowed as he watched her nibble on her lower lip, her eyes cast downward. He studied her face, her expression, her body language, hoping she might somehow give him some clue as to what dark secret lurked beneath her angelic surface.

"I'm not ready to tell you." Her sapphire eyes locked with his gaze, pinning him to his seat.

Remus slowly nodded as the knot tightened, threatening to snap in his gut. "I understand."

"But do you accept?" she asked. Her doey eyes gazed out from the fan of dark lashes trying to hide her vulnerability. Her full lips parted as the question lingered in the air.

Remus wanted to ask her again. His curiosity wanted to win out and he wanted to know what secret she was keeping. He knew it was heavy, dark. It clawed at her, casting a dark shadow over her little dove.

"Yes," he said. "I accept. For now. I'm hoping sometime soon, you'll learn to trust me." He cleared his throat as she only nodded, taking another sip of coffee. "Will you agree to have dinner with me tomorrow night?"

She paused, shaking her head. "No."

The knot in Remus' stomach dissolved in a vat of acid. Disappointment flooded his veins like lead, weighting him down as the wolf inside him clawed at his chest.

"I have a meeting tomorrow night," she said. "I can't miss my appointment."

"Is everything alright?" he asked, his disappointment vanishing as concern took its place.

She nodded. "Yes, it's a standing appointment."

Remus raised an eyebrow, but when she said nothing further, he changed the subject. "Friday then?"

"Friday is good," she answered. Something gleamed behind her eyes, a little secret that she was keeping from him. Remus' chest ached as a bizarre longing filled him. He needed to know her secret. The mystery was teasing him.

"Soon" he told himself. She would tell him soon.

"Good. We'll have dinner at my flat," he said, a note of finality ringing out.

Holly opened her mouth, her brows furrowing as she edged on raising an objection. But then she closed her mouth and swallowed her words. She nodded.

A small silence stretched between them and Remus raised his coffee to his lips, waiting.

"I have class in twenty minutes. It's on the opposite side of campus," Holly said, cracking the silence.

Remus nodded setting his cup back down. "Would you like an escort?" he asked.

A small smile twitched the corner of Holly's lip. Remus' lips tingled. He wanted to kiss that smile off her adorable face.

"An escort? How chivalrous of you," she said as she picked up her bag beside her. "Thank you for the office, but I should be fine. Thank you for the coffee, Professor." She smiled at him—a smile meant only for him—and the wolf inside howled in triumph.

Remus returned her smile before she turned and sauntered out of the coffee shop without a backward glance.

A long, slow breath whistled from between Remus' lips. Holly and her secrets. Someday soon, he would know them, would know her. But until then, he continued to sip his coffee and plan for their next evening together.

****Surprise! I have a new story coming out! This is an EPIC fanfiction compilation that is supporting families separated at the United States/Mexico border. Please click on this link for all the amazing details. The compilation will include a NEW Draco/Hermione love story written exclusively for this compilation.

Oh, and one of the contributors is none other than best-selling author…Sylvain Reynard!

as always, if you liked this story, please leave comments and share it with your friends!

XOXO

-Wendy


	17. Chapter 17

_Got coffee with Remus this morning. We're going out again on Friday night._

Holly pressed send on her text as Dr. Helmer fumbled through the first slide of her Powerpoint presentation, reading off the chunky paragraphs verbatim. Holly rested her phone against her laptop and began to type notes while Dr. Helmer droned on about _The Canterbury Tales_ and the theme of church corruption—an elementary concept, my dear Watson.

 _Yay! So exciting! Where are you going?_

Nikki's text flashed across Holly's phone screen. Holly watched until Dr. Helmer's attention shifted back to the slide so she could slide her phone over her laptop keyboard.

 _We're having dinner at his place._

Holly glanced up at the slide show and typed a couple more notes, not bothering to focus since the slides were already available online.

 _You sure that's smart? Kind of tough to say no and just walk out when you're already at his place. I think he enjoys power trips a bit too much._

Curiosity pricked at Holly's skin as she texted.

 _What do you mean?_

Holly waited. And waited. When Nikki didn't send a response within a minute—so unlike her—Holly continued to take notes. Fifteen minutes passed before he phone lit up beside her keyboard again.

 _We had an issue in class the other day. We were discussing taboos (kinky, right?). He seemed almost angry when I mentioned age gaps in relationships. He wasn't very happy with my examples. Student/teacher. May/December. Dom/sub. I'm surprised he didn't kick me out of class. It got really heated for a minute there._

Holly frowned. Professor Lupin seemed young, especially for a tenured professor. He didn't look older than his early thirties, though he walked around with the aura of a man with a secret, the weight of the world on his shoulders, and a deeply upsetting past. Though he was divorced and, even as a tenured professor, being that young in the world of academia often left a person with the never-ending obsession to prove themselves to their peers.

 _It's not much of an age gap. He can't be older than thirty-three, tops. That doesn't bother me._

Holly glanced up at the slide show, happy to have finally reached the end of yet another intellectually stimulating lecture that should would read later before her exams.

At least notes weren't necessary to pass Dr. Helmer's class.

As she shut her laptop, Holly's phone lite up.

 _I think he's thirty, so that's still a six year difference. Plus, he's divorced. That's kind of a red flag._

Holly shoved her laptop into her bag and slid her phone into a small pocket inside her purse. Even if Professor Lupin was several years older, that didn't automatically rule them out as incompatible. Even Shakespeare wrote, "Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind."

As Holly turned to step out of the lecture hall, a large figure stood in front of her.

"Holly?" The warm, chipper voice floated down to her as Holly raised her gaze upward.

Her gaze locked with Mark Haverford, a fellow graduate student. "Hi, Mark." At six foot, five inches, Holly had to crane her neck a bit to smile up at him, but he smiled back.

His weight shifted from one foot to the other as his large paw of a hand reached up to rub the back of his neck. "Another great lecture," he said as his smile shifted to an easy smirk.

"Dr. Helmer's lectures are the highlight of my academic life," Holly said, earning her a soft laugh from Mark.

"Listen, I know this is a bit sudden, but I was wondering if you're free Friday night? I have tickets to an art gallery opening and I thought it might be fun to go together." His brown eyes sparkled with a hope that tugged at Holly's heartstrings.

She hated rejection, but she hated being the rejecter even more.

"I'm sorry Mark. That sounds nice, but unfortunately I have other plans on Friday."

Mark's expression drooped like a crayon left in the hot sun. "Oh, alright then."

"I'm sorry," she said. "You're a sweet guy, but I'm sort of seeing someone."

Mark frowned. "Alright. Lucky guy." He turned and stepped down the steps, freeing Holly's path to the front door.

She rushed down the steps and left the lecture hall, her stomach wringing like a wet rag. The chilly wind smacked her in the face as she stepped outside. The crisp, Autumn breeze scented the air, mixing with the strange, dirty smells of the city and the decaying leaves on the ground kicked up in a rustle around her boots.

The scent of fresh coffee mixed with the cool air, teasing Holly's senses and coaxing her closer to her favorite coffee cart. She strolled across the quad to the Bean There Done That coffee cart, set up in its usual place. Ethan, the freckled faced blonde boy kept the line of a dozen patrons moving at a steady pace while Vanessa, the pixie sixed brunette, doled out cups of coffee, lattes, cappuccinos and a few frozen concoctions with her usual smile.

Holly wondered when Ethan would realize that Vanessa was into him and if he would just ask her out already. Their flirting was sweeter than their smoothies.

Holly shuffled behind seven other people in line. As she waited for Ethan to finish taking an undergrad's whipped cream covered order, she pulled her phone out of her bag to check the time.

She still had twenty minutes before her shift started at the bookstore.

She glanced up as the line moved one step forward. She tucked her phone back into her purse as a familiar figure strolled across the quad.

Remus' smile caught the sunlight, glinting off those pearly teeth as he laughed. His hair tousled in the wind and for a moment, he looked younger. As he laughed, the weight of the world usually pressing on his shoulders vanished.

His gaze flitted downward to a petite brunette, gazing up at him with a twinkle in her eyes Holly could see from fifty feet away. His gaze met with the strange woman and a familiar smile left her stomach twisting in knots—both because it was a beautiful smile, but it was a smile not meant for her.

As Remus and the woman rounded the corner and disappeared behind an office building, Holly's heart caved in her chest.

Was Remus with someone else?

****Surprise! I have a new story coming out! This is an EPIC fanfiction compilation that is supporting families separated at the United States/Mexico border. Please click on this link for all the amazing details. The compilation will include a NEW Draco/Hermione love story written exclusively for this compilation.

Oh, and one of the contributors is none other than best-selling author…Sylvain Reynard!

as always, if you liked this story, please leave comments and share it with your friends!

XOXO

-Wendy


	18. Chapter 18

Remus surveyed the table setting with military precision. Both sets of bone china were symmetrically set in a display that would have made Emily Post proud. The tapered candlesticks topped with flickering candlelight cast a sensual glow across the small table, set in front of the large windows overlooking the city. The buildings below glowed with an unearthly neon blaze, setting the perfect, easy mood for the evening.

Remus made no plans to push Holly. He knew she had boundaries—and he would force the animal inside him to behave tonight.

Tonight was a night for seduction—yes—but not all seduction ended in sex. Remus had other, more intimate, schemes in mind. He wanted his little dove, yes. His cock twitched in his pants as he imagined her spread out before him. On his bed. His couch. Hell, he'd take her on the floor, the counter, against the wall. He'd toss aside his hard work, scatter bone china and used taper candles across the floor if she wanted him to take her on the damn table.

But not tonight.

No, tonight he planned to penetrate something more elusive and impressive. He planned to seduce her mind, touch her thoughts, brand her very soul, so when she left tonight, he would be etched into her mind's eyes like graffiti she wouldn't—couldn't—scrub away.

He stepped around the room, circulating, telling himself he wasn't pacing, he wasn't anxious, he wasn't nervous as a schoolboy at the thought of Holly invading his home.

Three soft knocks at his door knocked the wind from his lungs as he crossed the room and opened the door.

The hallway lights illuminated her iridescent eyes. That was all he noticed before her soft "hello" pierced his heart like Cupid's bow. The gentle breeze in her voice stirred a tornado inside his stomach as the wolf within him stretched and howled.

"Hello," he greeted, stepping aside to allow her into his space.

"You have a lovely place," she said as she crossed the threshold.

Remus had a bizarre urge to sweep her up and carry her over it in some grandiose, twisted form of chivalry and perversion. He wanted to touch her, feel the back of her knees resting against his forearm. Feel the eight of her body pressing into his arms as he carried her like Superman over the short distance.

"Thank you," he choked, wondering where his thoughts were leading him. Down a deep, dark rabbit hole he was beginning to think was no longer scary and instead could lead to a new world of fun Remus never imagined possible.

His little dove was his white rabbit.

"Whatever it is your cooking, it smells divine," she said. Her nimble fingers unbuttoned the large buttons of her coat.

Remus' cock stirred again as she shifted the fabric, lowly stripping off the bulky article of clothing, like unwrapping a piece of chocolate, and revealing the delicious morsel underneath. A thin, green dress hugged the generous curves along her body like a second skin. A snakeskin. Though Holly certainly seemed to sweet to be a Slytherin.

The thought made his stomach twist, like poking at a wound that hadn't yet healed.

"Allow me to take you coat," he offered, closing the distance between them. His fingers reached for the fabric as she turned and offered her clothing to him with a smile. The simple act seemed far too intimate, but Remus stifled back his thoughts, determined not to let his animalistic side pervert him.

He was a man on a mission. He would be a perfect gentleman—or just enough of one to leave Holly with a good impression of him.

"Wow, your view is amazing." Holly padded across the plush carpet, her slender stilettos wobbling a bit as she sunk deeper into his living space.

Remus' throat squeezed in a vice. Holly was a colorful burst against the contracting navy night sky. The dull orange and blue neon glistened against her skin. Her ruby lips parted as her crystalline eyes gazed out in childlike wonder over the expanse of city below her feet.

 _It's all for you_. Remus wanted to speak, to tell her this apartment, this city, the world, him. All of it was meant for her. He felt that if heaven and God existed, then God made it all for her. The world was her playground, and he was happy to be cast the part of her plaything.

Remus's cock twitched, enjoying the idea.

"Stop it," he muttered.

"Pardon?" she asked.

"Hm," Remus raised an eyebrow, acting as though he'd said nothing and it was simply her imagination.

She lifted a slender shoulder. "Never mind. I thought I heard you say something."

"I hope you're hungry," he said, switching the subject as he hung her coat on the hook of an ornate coat-stand.

"I'm starving actually," she admitted as she ripped her gaze away from the view and turned to him. "I haven't eaten all day. I've been in the library."

"Well, then, the tour will have to wait." Remus flashed what he hoped what a charming smile at her before turning on his heel and leading her into the dining room adjacent to the living room. Ever the practiced English gentleman, he held out a seat for her until she sat, pushing it closer to the table.

"You've certainly outdone yourself, professor." Her fingertips caressed the edges of a bone china plate, her pink tipped nails covering the thin circle rimming he edge of the plate.

Her compliment slid through him like liquid velvet.

"Thank you," he said, fighting back his grin at her praise. He reached over, lifting the decanter of Syrah from a small vineyard in the Rhône Valley. He poured a generous amount into her glass before pouring one for himself.

"What did you make?" she asked as he set the decanter back on the table. "It smells amazing."

"Beef bourguinon," he answered. "In face, let me go get it. One moment." Remus circled around a corner into his kitchen, breathing in a long slow breath. His heartbeat pulsed erratically and his hands clammed with sweat. What was happening?

It wasn't a full moon. The wolf inside him was calm, collected, and scratching to get back into the dining room, breathing the same air as Holly. He could smell her scent, invading his home, mixing with the aroma of French cooking and expensive wine, like a potent aphrodisiac.

He lifted the small pot of stew, took another steady breath to collect his composure before strolling back out into the dining room.

His little Christmas dive sat at his table, smiling at him with a delightful glint in her eyes. "I had no idea you could cook," she said as he rested the pot down onto a small metal plate nestled between a fresh baguette and a small round of farmer's market butter.

"I'm a man of many talents, Holly." He ladled stew into their bowls before sitting down. His fingers skimmed over the smooth glass of the stem of his wine glass and lifted it. "To the start of a wonderful evening."

Holly lifted her own glass and carefully clinked the edges of the fragile glass together. "Cheers, professor. To what I'm sure will be an unforgettable night."


	19. Chapter 19

Unforgettable.

Remus' eyes twinkled over the flickering candlelight, his lips giving away no hint to his thoughts.

Holly sipped her wine, tasting the freshness flooding her mouth, coating her tongue like nature's cum.

She wondered if Professor Lupin tasted as sweet.

The aroma of the beef stew brought Holly back to her days in Paris and a smile tugged at her lips.

"Penny for your thoughts," Remus said as he slipped a slice of baguette into her bread plate.

"I haven't had a meal like this in quite some time," she admitted. "I remember having beef bourguignon when I was in Paris a few years ago for Spring break. My French professor raved about Paris and I decided to see for myself if the grandeur lived up to the hype."

"Did it?" Remus raised the fork to his lips, a succulent piece of reddish beef dangling from the end. He slid the prongs between his sift lips.

A shiver racked Holly's body as she imagined those lips sucking on her clit, teasing it and drawing it into his mouth as his tongue.

"Are you cold?"

Holly's attention snapped back to Remus.

She hadn't realized she was squirming in her seat.

"I thought I saw you shiver," he continued. "I could turn the heat higher." His head drifted to the fireplace blazing in the center of the large living room and frowned.

"I'm alright," Holly said, a warm flush heating her skin. "Just a small shiver, but I'm not cold." She flashed him a smile to reassure him before taking a bite of her food, thankful for the distraction that came from sharing a meal.

"How was your meeting yesterday?" Remus set his fork down, reaching for his wine glass. His grey eyes sparkled with a warm, like diamonds hidden behind antique glass.

Her meeting? Oh, her "meeting."

"It went well," she said, reaching for her own wine glass. "I met with my adviser to discuss the direction of my thesis. He's pleased with my progress so far, but I have some more books to read this week."

She sipped her wine, letting the flavor flood her mouth as she readjusted herself in her seat. An obvious wetness clung between her thighs, her lacey scrap of a thong doing nothing to hide or absorbed any of her arousal. She hoped she didn't stain this dress. She splurged and bought it at the thrift shop near her house just to have something impressive to wear tonight. She couldn't afford to waste the twelve dollars she'd spent and ruin a perfectly good cocktail dress because her lady bits were overactive.

Always overactive.

"Perhaps I'll see you in the library," he said. A small smile lifted the corner of his lips as his eyes gleamed across the table.

"It's a small campus," Holly said. "In fact, I saw you just the other day with a woman. One of your students, maybe."

Holly cast her gaze down at the food, her stomach rolling as her appetite fled. She reached for the bread beside her, wondering if it would dislodge the lump in her throat and the sudden tightness in her chest.

A pause stretched out between them. Holly ripped of a small piece of bread and popped it into her mouth, letting the carbs soak up any word she might have said to make the tension anymore awkward.

"I assume you're not referring to your friend, Miss McGuire," Remus muttered. "I can only assume you mean Ginny Woolford. She's another student of mine. She seems rather persistent."

"Maybe," Holly shrugged. She ripped her gaze away from her food and forced herself to stare back into those steely grey eyes. They captured her, hypnotizing her like a snake teasing a mouse before striking.

"Ginny is one of my students," Remus said with a hard edge in his voice, like a guillotine dropping on the subject matter. "Despite her attempts at flirting and flattery, I refuse to date any students and put myself in an ethically irresponsible position."

As quickly as a bubble of hope expanded in her chest, it popped. "I'm a student," she said, the words slipping out of her mouth before she could stop herself.

Remus' frown transformed into a scowl, and for a moment she thought she heard a soft growl escape his lips. In an instant, he shifted, regaining his composure. The animalistic change in his expression shifted to a cool indifference.

Holly almost missed the hot-blooded animal over the icy vibes rolling off Professor Lupin. "You're not my student, Miss Beddoes."

"Miss Beddoes?" she asked, stifling a laugh that threatened to escape her throat. "You just said that I'm not one of your students, professor. So, why the sudden air of professionalism?" Holly took a long breath before she said what she thought was the bravest thing she'd ever uttered. "You can drop the act around me, Remus."

Remus's frozen demeanor cracked, just enough to reveal a glimpse of sadness and melancholy that tugged at Holly's heart strings. "I'm afraid I can't, Holly." Remus frowned, his fingers tracing over the delicate stem of his glass as his gaze lowered, his eyes watching his hand's slow, methodical movements. Up and down the glass.

For a moment, Holly wondered if he teased his cock in the same slow, practiced way he teased the cup.

"So, we're back to Holly?" she asked, hoping to lighten the mood as she raised her tone and smiled.

A soft chuckle left Remus' lips, followed by a smile that left her heart fluttering like a hummingbird. "You don't like confrontation, do you, Holly?" he asked. He raised his gaze o meet with hers.

Warmth pooled in his eyes, even in the age lines etched in the corners and the weary smile that only showed itself when Remus was at his most vulnerable. He wore his sadness like a shield. So many people are left vulnerable and open when they're at their saddest, at their worst. Remus was most vulnerable when he smiled. His smile let someone know that his defenses were down.

Holly tread carefully, wondering if there was some sort of double meaning in his words. "I don't think anyone enjoys confrontation, really."

Remus shook his head, his hand falling from the glass. "Some people get off on it. The power exchange. The struggle. The need to win and the power that comes from a conquest."

His words reverberated under Holly's skin, playing a tune on her bones and ringing in her lower belly. She sat there, frozen and entranced by his words, her body begging for more of that wonderful sound that poured from his lips like an audible aphrodisiac.

"But you're not one of them," he continued. "No, little dove, you're a peacemaker."

 _Little dove?_ Something so sweet and innocent. Something so far from the stains on Holly's soul, the black marks from her past. The opposite of the wolfish demons she struggled with every single day, even now, sitting across from Remus.

"You're definitely a submissive, Holly," Remus growled.

"Yes." The word slipped from her lips, an admission, an act of surrender.

A twinkle in Remus' eyes gave way to the knowledge that he had her. He had power over her. Controlling something so bone-deep, such a major part of her self, her being, her essence. He could tame and control the submissive inside her.

But could she trust him? Could this little dove sit in the wolf's jaws, nested safe and secure, or would he bite?

***Thank you so so much for reading! Please leave a review if you liked it 3

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	20. Chapter 20

"I'll fetch dessert," Remus said as he rose from the table and carried their plates into the kitchen.

He inhaled, forcing himself to remain composed while every cell in his body fought him. The wolf inside him wanted to break free, to lose control. His little dove drove him wild in ways he knew he could never explain to her.

She drove him mad. Just sitting across from her, watching her smile over the rim of her wineglass, was tempting him. Those luscious lips, the long column of her pale neck, creamy white like a swan. She sat with the grace of a queen and the twinkle in her eye of an experienced seductress. Her words were full of innocence, playfulness, and—most of all—kindness.

When had he ever met someone with such an open kindness before?

Remus shook his head as he closed the refrigerator with two chocolate pots de crème in hand. He inhaled one long, slow breath, forcing his body to stay collected and distant before he turned on his heel and returned to the dining room.

"I hope you enjoy chocolate," he said, setting one of the desserts on the plate in front of her.

"Never trust anyone who says they don't enjoy chocolate," she said with a sugary sweet smile.

A bark of a laugh escaped Remus' chest as he returned to his seat. An ache settled deep in Remus's chest, like a heart attack waiting to happen—a bomb waiting to go off at any moment.

Holly raised the spoon to her mouth, her crimson lips wrapping around the spoon in the most erotic way.

She closed her eyes, sliding the spoon from her lips, leaving a smudge of chocolate along the spoon and between her pouted lips.

Remus' body tensed, forcing him to remain collected while his instincts told him to leap across the table and lick the lingering chocolate from her lips. Holly and chocolate—a most decadent and divine combination. One unmeant for a sinner like him.

A sound from her throat tore through him, leaving his cock hard and aching between his legs. His balls throbbed, begging him for release as his cock jerked against his pants in protest.

The soft moan of pleasure left him totally unraveled.

His control hung by a thin, delicate thread.

Holly blinked, smiling at him. "This is so rich," she said. "I've never had anything quite like it."

"It's a favorite recipe of mine," Remus said as he dug the spoon into his own dessert. He forced the chocolate to his lips, hoping the simple act of eating, and the subtle art of conversing, would cool the suddenly bolt of lust that left him in a heated mess. "And chocolate is meant to be a potent aphrodisiac after all." Remus curved his lips in a smile before he took a bit of his dessert.

Holly's eyes twinkled with a mix of innocent and amusement. Her body shifted under his heavy gaze, as though she was unable to find a comfortable position. He could smell her arousal from across the table, and the hard tips of her nipples poked through the flimsy fabric of her dress, her body keenly aware of his presence.

Remus dig his heels into the plush carpet, forcing himself to act cool and collected, while his wolfish instincts wrestled with the control. He wanted to pounce, capture his little dove's lips on his, ravish her on the table and eat every drop of that sweet honey between her legs that perfumed the air.

"Remus?" Holly's voice tinkled like a bell, jerking him from his thoughts, while his body remained tight and tense, eager to feast on her body and sate his need for her.

"Holly," he said, her name dripping from his lips like syrup—sweet, thick, and warm. Even the taste of her name left his cock twitching in his pants.

For a moment, Remus was grateful for his fashion choice. Dark gray pants would hide the pre-cum dampening his underwear.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"Oh? What makes you think something is funny, Holly?" he asked, a bit taken aback, but ready to flip the conversation back to her. He tossed the proverbial ball back into her court and waited.

"You were smiling," she accused.

"People smile for many reason, Holly. Not always from humor."

"I like seeing you smile."

The innocence of her statement, the honesty in her words, the kindness in her voice…Remus lost his breath, the desire pulsing through him pausing and giving way to shocking admiration for this angel sitting across the table from him.

"So," she continued. "Whatever it is you're thinking of that's making you smile, keep thinking it." Then she did something that hotwired Remus' desire to full throttle.

She winked at him.

The playful ease, the small smile on her lips, the teasing nature of her actions left him near shaking in his seat. His cock pulsed thick and hard beneath his trousers, straining for relief. The wolf inside him howled, clawing, begging Remus to claim her, mate with her, make this little dove his own.

"Be careful what you wish for, Holly," he warned.

"Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt." She offered up a teasing smile while reaching for her wine glass. " _Measure for Measure_ , one of Shakespeare's lesser known plays."

"Holly, you are bewitching," Remus declared, his heart squeezing in a vise as her ruby lips pressed against the glass, lifted the cup, and swallowed. "But allow me to ask you this." He shifted in his seat, ignoring his over-eager erection and settling down with his forearms resting against the table. His gaze hardened, like a negotiator, ready to put everything on the line for a solid deal. "Do you want to continue our relationship?"

The twinkle in Holly's eyes faded as she set her glass back on the table. Her lips parted, a drop of red wine teasing him on the edge of her lip. The tip of her bubble-gum pink tongue darted out to catch the droplet, giving her a moment to collect her thoughts as he waited, wondering what her response would be to such a bizarre, yet forward question.

"Yes, under some conditions," she said.

Remus' eyes widened in surprise. Remus had not prepared himself for negotiations on her part as well, but curiosity pricked at his skin like a mosquitoes.

"Go on," he encouraged.

"I have some limits. Physical limits." She rested her arms against the table, her cleavage squishing together to form a deeper crevasse—one Remus could get lost in and never want to be found. His cock twitched, wanting to be squeezed between her generous—

Remus stooped himself, forcing himself to focus again on the conversation at hand. His cock twitched in protest.

"And what are you limitations, Holly?"

"I won't sleep with you."

Disappointment poisoned the excitement building in Remus' muscles, loosening the tension as he stilled.

Holly shifted, and he could swear he heard the gears in her mind turning and grinding as she tried to decide what to say next.

"And why not?" he asked, trying to pry more details from her.

"I can't sleep with you…yet."

Relief covered him, an antidote to the poison she had fed him moments ago. "Oh?" he asked.

"I can't really…I don't know if I want to exlain it just yet," she said. "I just want to put that out there. I don't want you to expect something tonight, or anytime soon. But I want to be honest with you." Some of the twinkle in her eyes returned as her posture shifted. Her shoulder rolled back, her chest stretching towards him. A position of openness and vulnerability.

A moment, captured in Remus' memory, one he could chesrish always. His little dove, giving him the chance to hurt her, wound her, and trusting him not to.

"I can respect that," he said. "And I accept it, fully. I won't push you past anything you're comfortable with."

She rewarded him with her smile, leaving his world a little brighter.

He cleared his throat before he continued. "Though I am hoping one day you will trust me enough to tell me why. It seems to be more than simply a religious or moral standpoint that's brought you to this decision."

Holly's shoulder slumped a bit, but her nodded, pressing her crimson lips together in a hard line. "I'll tell you," she said. "One day, you'll know."

***Thanks for reading! Please leave a review, and don't forget to favorite and follow for updates!


	21. Chapter 21

Holly rested her wine glass on the coffee table, crossing one knee over the other as Remus eyed her movements. She felt like a rabbit, being stalked by an eagle. Each turn of her hand, each shift of her leg, each rise and fall of her chest with each slow breath was examined by Remus.

"You're nervous." His words rang like a gong in a silent room, an observation rather than an accusation.

"Something about you makes me nervous," she admitted. She bit the tip of her tongue to stop her numbing face from cringing. Two glasses of wine and honesty was rolling out of her mouth in waves. If she wasn't careful, she might reveal more than she wanted tonight. And if she really wasn't careful, she might relapse.

"Tell me something about you I don't know," she said. "Something personal." She wondered why she added that last bit as she shifted on his couch, eyeing him in the armchair he occupied.

The flames from the cozy firelight cast shadows across his face, lighting his pale, British skin in a hellish glow. The glint in his eye dulled a bit as his lips twisted in amusement.

"Well, this bit of information seems fitting given the circumstances." She shifted in his chair, resting his elbow on his knees and leaning forward.

Holly found her body shifting forward, closer to his until they were almost touching, their bodies hovering over the coffee table, inches from one another. Only their breath touched.

"I'm a Dominant, Holly. I've been professionally trained as one," he said.

Curiosity pricked at her lower belly, something swirling and stirring between her thighs. She shifted, pulling back from him a bit to catch her breath. When had the fire become so hot? When could she get so dizzy from two glasses of wine?

"Something about that bothers you," he noted, shifting back in his hair and resting his forearms on the arm rest. "Why?"

Holly lifted ne shoulder in a casual shrug.

"Tell me, Holly," he said.

"I don't get along well with most Doms," she said. "Most of them move too fast for me."

Remus paused, digesting her words before speaking. "What do they do that makes you say they move too fast? I'm sure you use a safe word with them, correct?"

Holly nodded. "Yes, but… It's complicated, Remus. Maybe one day I'll tell you, but I move slow in any sort of relationship. Even a Dom/sub relationship. Like glacially slow."

Remus nodded as though he understood, but how could he? She'd told him so little, the truth always balancing on a tightrope on the tip of her tongue, ready to fall out of her mouth and humiliate her.

"How did you end up training to be a Dom?" she asked, hoping that would change the subject enough that she could swallow her tightrope.

"My ex-wife was a submissive," he said. "I was always curious about the lifestyle, and I guess you can say I dabbled a bit in school." A faint blush stained his cheeks, but his face remained stoic. "I learned for her. Lot of good that did me."

Remus raised his wine glass to his lips and downed the last of it in a large gulp. "Would you like some more?" he asked, motioning to her almost empty glass.

"No, thank you," she said. "Two drinks are my limit."

Remus' eyebrow rose in question, though he said nothing.

"If you don't mind me asking," she said, "why did you get divorced?"

Remus' brows crinkled over his eyes as his tight lips tilted into a firm frown. "I don't mine the question, though I don't think you will appreciate my answer."

Holly waited, leaning back in her seat until her shoulder blades pressed into the soft fabric, supporting her as she braced herself for his response.

"My ex-wife enjoyed attention," Remus began. He pressed his fingertips together as he leaned forward, arms resting on his legs again. "She was a writer, an author in fact. She'd written several mystery novels. She was quite talented."

Jealousy pinched Holly's chest at the unwelcome compliment. She said nothing as Remus cleared his throat and continued.

"She made a substantial amount of money, and led me to believe her income was solely from book sales. We had separate accounts, and I trusted her, so I never questioned her assets. However, one day I was feeling under the weather and I came home early from work."

Holly's muscles froze, knowing what laid on the other end of that sentence. Maybe not the details, but the rest of the story couldn't be good.

"I don't think she heard me come home," he said. "I went upstairs to our bedroom to lie down and there she was, spread eagle on our bed with a webcam pointed at her from her laptop. I'd walked in on my wife giving a private cam-show to a client. Apparently, he was a regular. My wife was a cam girl. She barley sold any books. Nearly all of her income came from her…performances."

The growl in Remus' voice as he uttered the last word sent fear slithering down Holly's back like an icy snake under her skin.

"I'm so sorry," she said. What else could she say to that? The hurt and betrayal he endured seemed unfathomable to Holly's imagination.

Remus shook his head. "I'm glad I discovered her secret when I did. Otherwise, who knows what might have happened. I'd considered having children with this woman, after all. What might have happened to them if I found out five, ten years from now? No, Holly, please save your sympathy for someone else. I don't need nor deserve it. My wife was promiscuous."

Remus' gaze locked with Holly's. A softness swelled in his eyes, one that left Holly wondering what was going through his mind. If she could choose any moment in her life up to now to read minds, this exact moment would be the one she chose…

Remus shook his head, with a small lift in his lips, like he could not believe was he was about to say. "Promiscuity is the ugliest, filthiest trait anyone can possess."

Disappointment pressed into Holly's chest until it created a crater, though one not nearly large enough to hide her shame. If Remus knew… No, she would never let him know. Not now, anyway. Not for a long time.

Clearly, Remus had issues with women who had a past, a history like hers. She would wait until he knew her—the real her—before she would let anything spill.

"Well, let's talk about something more positive," she said, trying to plaster on a coy smile that couldn't quite reach her eyes. "Tell me about your work."

Remus's smile slipped for a moment, but he recovered and began to discuss his years in his doctoral program, the lectures, the students.

Holly blinked, her eyelids growing heavier with each word, his soft accent, the calmness in his voice lulling her into a peaceful slumber.


End file.
